by John Cargile

Created on: August 17, 2008

My son was perplexed by the idea of time when a co-worker asked him, "What is time?"

"I didn't know how to answer because we were on the job," he said. "I thought for a moment and answered, 'Time is money.' But that wasn"t exactly the answer he was searching for."

It seems his co-worker was asking more about the philosophical aspects of time. When did it start? How did it start?

All the great philosophers and theologians have tried to answer the question of time. Scientists have their version - the Big Bang. Truth is no one knows when time began.

We all know what physical time is. It's the ticking of a clock, the whine of an alarm, the calendar on the wall. And since we all agree about how those things work, time can seem as solid as a rock.

In fact, it's a lot squishier. Our calendars are imperfect. We need a leap day to keep them in line with the seasons, and even so, time will eventually get away from us.

If that doesn't make your head spin, consider that in physics, motion alters time; in psychology, different stimuli alter our perception of time; and in philosophy, there's disagreement on whether time is even real.

"In terms of our inner lives, no time exists except for what is happening in the present moment," says Joan Roshi, a Zen Buddhist teacher.

Deepak Chopra, a spiritual guide and alternative medicine expert, warns of the dangers of a time.
"People who feel that they are 'running out of time' have speeded up their biological clocks," says Chopra. "They have faster heart rates and jittery platelets with high levels of adrenaline. When they drop dead from a premature heart attack, they have literally 'run out of time.'"

Since human timetables quite often do not correspond with universal timetables, it's common for people to feel that life is progressing too slowly or too quickly. We draft carefully composed plans only to find that they fall into place when we least expect.

We are thrust into roles we believe we are not prepared for and wonder how we will survive the demands imposed upon us by unfamiliar circumstances. When delays in our progress kindle pangs of disappointment within us or the pace of life seems overwhelming, peace can be found in the simple fact that we are exactly where we need to be at this moment.

Every person fulfills their purpose when the time is right. If you have fast-tracked to success, you may become deeply frustrated if you discover you can no longer satisfy your desires as quickly as you might like.

Yet the delays that

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>