This may end up being the first of several posts on the subject of time. Or it may be the only one I ever do. I haven’t figured that out yet 1) because I don’t know how much time I will have left here on this earth (slightly morbid thought) and 2) because I’m just not sure how inspired I am to talk about such a sticky topic. But as of recent I’ve been reading (nay, rereading) a book called Einstein’s Dreams. It’s a great read, particularly if you find yourself as excited about metaphysical concepts as I do. And if you don’t, and have no idea what metaphysics is….well, it’s probably still going to be an intriguing read for you, because time is interesting in and of itself. That’s my book recommendation for today. Anywho…
The reason I love this book is because I’m fascinated by the idea of other worlds. And let me clarify…I’m not really talking about life on Mars or anything…I’m more talking about fatalism vs. non-fatalism. Are things predetermined and there’s nothing we can do about them, or do we have some say in the way life plays out? And the reason I have a hard time with this is because God is the Alpha and Omega…but how can He be the end if the end hasn’t happened yet. Or has it? And if the end has happened, what’s the point of good-or-bad decision making for us? And how do these ideas come in to play when I’m working out my own theology? (Maybe I’m “dumbing down” some tough questions and asking them in an elementary way…and if I am, I apologize for boring you and showing my lack of intellect.)
But back to fate and time…I remember the first time I realized that a situation could have more than one outcome (or so I assume). I was about 4 and I was watching good old Bob Barker on The Price is Right. You know the game…don’t deny your love for watching old ladies jump up and down and attack Bob with bright red lipstick on either cheek. But remember the end…when there are two showcases (the second one is ALWAYS better than the first!!)? Well, in my little four year old mind it suddenly hit me…what would happen if instead of passing up the first showcase, they bid on it? Would the winner still have been the winner? And how would life be different if instead of winning a “brand new car” they won the Broyhill bedroom set? Needless to say, I was perplexed.
Possibly during the commercial break of that same episode of Price, there was an advertisement that claimed you add seven minutes to your life every time you pet a cat. Well, we all know this can’t be true (except for maybe in the case of Methuselah), because the “Cat Lady” down the street would live much longer than the average age of most women. And there would be people that would never die. It would just be ridiculous. But how do we know that my grandmother who died of cancer when I was 5 wouldn’t have just died in a car accident at the same age if she hadn’t had cancer. Is there a possibility of a “world” where Granny lived to see me graduate from high school? Or was she destined to die when she did? What about Christ? What if God had let the cup pass from him? Is there a possible “world” where we didn’t get saved by his death?
And notice I judged Granny’s death according to her age. Which brings me full circle back to time. What is time anyway? A social construction we’ve invented to describe the chronology of events? Or is it something true, with its own intrinsic values and characteristics? And what is it that we love about time, that we’ve kept the idea around for so long?
Probably my favorite part of the book is a chapter which describes a world in which the future can be seen. Those that have gotten their glimpse make their decisions based on what they have seen…after all, what is the point of wasting your time with school when you know you’re going to become a housewife or a garbage man? These people take no risks because there is nothing to risk when you already know the outcome. The other people in the town that have not yet gotten their glimpse of the future mostly lie around in bed until they do. They take no risks because they wait patiently to find out what the end will be. But then there is a third type of person in this town. These are the people that have seen the future and do everything in their power to prevent it from happening. A woman that sees the man she will marry makes herself fall in love with a different man instead. But in the end of the chapter it is revealed that they still end up with the same future.
Time is so intriguing to me; as the seconds of my life tick by I can’t help but wonder what a second is to God. What my lifetime is to Him for that matter? I’m sitting here at work thinking, “elch…I have an hour and a half yet to kill.” And that hour and a half seems like forever to me right now. But when I’m studying for an exam it’s at the hour and a half point that I start to get really nervous, because time is seemingly speeding up and I am wishing I had more time to learn.
My brain kinda hurts from thinking about this. Maybe more later.
