by Rick Newton

Created on: April 11, 2009

Time is either the greatest figment of humankind's collective imagination or an omnipresent force in the universe. You know what? In the long run it probably does not matter if it is the figment or the force. What matters, is our perception and our reality. Our perception is simply what our senses tell us, while our reality is our day to day lives. Humans perceive the passage of time in some form, moving from past to present to future. It is reflected in our actions, goal setting, and even in our language. Maybe some arcane society in the Himalayas has managed to see through this illusory veil or can manipulate this penetrating effect we call time. If they do have this knowledge they aren't letting us in on the secret. Could someone substantiate the idea of time as a construct of the human psyche? The reality is that, a project of this magnitude would take up all areas of your life and in all likelihood will not lead to a conclusive answer. Time insinuates itself into all aspects of our life. It has so many views and possibilities to consider that it has long been a subject of writers and scientists alike. Perhaps if we figure out exactly what it is and why it seems to be hard-wired to out consciousness we can free ourselves of it, whether it is the figment or the force. On the other hand, maybe time, real or imagined, gives us a reason to hope and achieve.

Every morning we rise from bed, to wage our daily battle with the clock. But, are we actually moving forward in a contiguous, directed, progression toward the future? Is it possible that the past, present and future are just illusions in our respective minds? If so it would seem that its interpretation is virtually identical for all of us. Time and its nature have been explored by a small army of scientists. Writers have explored and extrapolated the principles of time for fictional accounts. These tomes have expanded humanity's ideas on and perceptions of the nature of time. They may question its purpose, its tenets, even its reality, but in the end, while they may gain a clearer comprehension of the universe, time is still a tyrant that rules their lives, every fraction of an instant, every minute, hour and day. While some knowledge may lead to a bit of satisfaction our lives are still this same in this regard.

Listen to our language. We speak of "making time", "beating the clock", "racing against time", "in the nick of time", "time waits for no man", "time heals all wounds", and when all else fails,

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