"row, row, row your boat,
gently down the stream;
merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily,
life is but a dream."
time flies - if it is used as a measure of your life.
"among prominent philosophers, there are two distinct viewpoints on time.
one view is that time is part of the fundamental structure of the universe,
a dimension in which events occur in sequence.
the opposing view is that time does not refer to any kind of "container"
that events and objects "move through", nor to any entity that "flows",
but that it is instead part of a fundamental intellectual structure
(together with space and number) within which humans sequence
and compare events."
carl sandburg wrote:
in the cool of the night time
the clocks pick off the points
and the mainsprings loosen.
they will need winding.
one of these days
they will need winding.
with time measuring the unmeasurable.
with space defining the undefinable.
here we are.
what a strange place to call home.
what a strange way to define the sacred space we know as home.
"thus, in the crystal of time and space, whose gulfs contain all that we call the infinite, may God behold the manifestation of all the multiform mysteries, and all the secret thoughts and dreams which abide in the centermost sanctuary of his being. and naught may appear to him but these - his thoughts and dreams forever shadow - shown in the immeasurable orb of the hollow crystal of time and space."
excerpted from the crystals written by clark ashton smith
26 comments:
Wonderful contemplations on time!
I am privileged to spend my "work" days with people who don't understand any time but the immediate present moment. These people aren't Zen masters; they're kindergartners.
Perhaps "spending" so much "time" in kindergarten has skewed my perception of time somewhat, but I am of the opinion that a young child's orientation to time is more discerning of actual reality than we adults are willing to admit.
We dwell, actually, in a limitless realm of an ever-present peaceful heart and serene mind. We simply need to wake up to this fact.
Fascinating meditation on this fundamental dimension of our lives which is far more complex than the ticking of the clock.
Wonderful, steven!
whenever I fell the least bit discouraged by things I think I understand, I look at photos like this of our universe and I am comforted by all that I don't understand
good morning dan - i agree with you. i also think that there are multiple interpretations of this existence that allow for movement between the real and actual and the layered artifice that defines the surface. much of this world is defined by our knowing of the physical dimensions which are circumscribed by space and time . our brains are wired to need that artifice in order to make sense of what is - as you say - a limitless realm which in the golden fish lexicon is described as being comprised of entirely unconditional love. one of the most direct and powerful manifestations of this realm that i know is music.
so my all and everything is a layered experiencing. beginning on the very outside with time and 3d space and emotional love. work inwards to the truth.
a big hug for you my kindie teacher friend!!! steven
titus - thankyou!!! i am really looking frward to the provoked thoughts that may emerge from this posting!!! have a peaceful day. steven
hi pauline - the great mysteries are a place of comfort that puts the small (but large in our own experiencing) troubles of our lives in a sort of perspective. have a peaceful day. steven
Steven - loved this post! I agree with Dan, that we should look to our little ones for a purer understanding of being in the universe. I agree with your second 'philosophy' on time.
We exist on many levels of being and 'time' is a construct of the ego that requires structure, orientation, order, control. Transcend ego and our mental construct is irrelevant.
Thanks for the reminder - I awoke this morning contemplating how much 'time' I have before weekend guests arrive to prepare for them. You just helped remind me that if I shift perspective - I have all the time in the world!
I tend to mark time by the seasonal changes in my garden and how long until the next Christmas!
"Sometimes I feel that life is passing me by, not slowly either, but with ropes of steam and spark-spattered wheels and a hoarse roar of power or terror. It's passing, yet I'm the one who's doing all the moving." ~Martin Amis, Money
Another wonderfully thought provoking post, Steven. I especially love that last space photo.
I feel like I need some winding this morning...
Row row row your boat is one of my ultimate theme songs. It is SO true on so many levels. Seems more true (is that possible?) when sung as a round.
Life is definitely but a dream! Sweet dreams to you!
I love that second image. Love it.
good evening Steven;
a wonderful post;
so many of us are profligate with our 'time', we waste it, we wish it gone, we look back on it. Seeing it through the philosophers eyes does it indeed make it seem 'timeless' and yet, paradoxically, call on us to use it well.
time is such an intriguing thing and very fluid too it seems to me...
I like the selection of photos you've used in this post!
hello crafty green, i agree - fluid and dynamic in the sense that some moments open out to their entirety and others seem to stutter quickstep into the very next one. have a timeless evening. steven
hello friko - such a cool insight. i guess with the idea that a moment - when known in its fullness - can be magnified outside of time, it is possible to use time "wisely", or more fully as i would prefer. have a timeless evening. steven
hello ellen - me too. i could not take my eyes off it. patty's blog is filled with work with "found" images and ideas and is well worth frequent visits. follow the link in this post ("bitze") to find your way there. have a timeless evening. steven
reya - me tooo - which is why i opened this posting with the words for row row your boat!!! i had a dream the other night. a large glowing orb rotated in front of me. it turned until it's body was sidewards to me at which point it was a huge portal that i walked in sideways like into a coin on its side. as i passed through there was warmth and then i was in an entirely different place. but more about that some other time!!! have a timeless dc evening reya! steven
hi willow - i was wound this morning for the first time in days!! it was so great!!!! i know what you mean about those days where you need winding though - oh yes i do!!! have a timeless evening at the manor. steven
hi barry - that's one powerful gutting strangely moving piece of writing you've shared. some days are really like that. others find their level and move inwards into tremendous deatil and at the end i wonder - where did that come from. where did that go. have a timeless evening with linda. steven
hello golden west - the surface feature sof my life are marked by events, predictable levels of workload, and the seasons. so in that way we share a sense of time on the surface of our lives. have a timeless evening on the coast. steven
hi bonnie - i reallt appreciate this thoughtful comment and the ideas of time. in some ways time is a feature of the need for control. to organize. to hold. in others it's a master. in others it's a smokescreen. in others - well it simply doesn't exist!!!!! a timeless quebec evening for you bonnie. steven
Well, I know this about time: it passes so quickly when I start reading blogs! I always marvel how we can bounce back and forth in others' fixed points in time and yet that moment of reading is always so "present."
I like the way you start with a children's rhyme; funnily enough, it doesn't get any more mysterious or profound than that, does it.
I love these images, Steven! Many cultures use the circle or wheel to define time: to some this means time is not linear but continuing in an overlapping, circular pattern; to others it's based on twelve divisions because of the rotation of the moon, which becomes both linear and circular. I believe the clock is based on a division of the rotation of the earth around the sun. It's interesting to contemplate, isn't it? I think we should go with Dan's kindergartners!
isn't that so true bee!! i cannot believe how the half hour a day i'm allowing myself through the school year blows by in no time at all!!! there's lots tucked away inside children's rhymes. lots!!! have a peaceful day. steven
hello margaret, i learn lots from the kindies at my shcool. some of it is about not having the filters we acquire in the course of living. kindies have virtually none! they think it - they say it or do it!! have a lovely day. steven
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