Time Is A Construct

(my son's reply to a question about 'having time to do something'. Yep, it got me thinking and eventually led to this blog entry.)

Question: Is "time" an abstract mental construct or does it exist independent of human consciousness?

I do believe that time exists. (Good job, because it's part of the title of this blog!!!) There are even verses in scripture that scholars say tell us that God created time, and that he lives independently of it. I came to that conclusion a while ago, and here's the blog post I wrote about it at the time, here. Star Trek fans will doubtless understand, have a read...

Another popular saying is: "Time doesn't exist, only clocks exist." Aah, now I believe you are on to something. Because it's really the way that we 21st Century humans relate to clocks that cause us so many problems. 

Because it is our clocks who tell us when we need to wake up, when we need to go to work, when it’s time for lunch, when we really should go to sleep. 

And there are so many of us who don’t do those things when we want to, we do them when others have determined they should be done.

Someone asked me an honest question the other day. "How did man ever exist without clocks?" Simple. They got up when it was daylight, and went to bed when it got dark. 

Want to get less stressed? Take that watch off your wrist for a little while...

Time is an illusion. Lunchtime doubly so - Douglas Adams, The Hitch-hiker's Guide to the Galaxy

Patience! You've got all the time in the world - whether a thousand years or a day, it's all the same to you. - Psalm 90:4, The Message translation.

H is for Hitch-hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy

It's always interesting to know how someone first came up with the concept of a long-running series. It's frequently something particularly random.

The idea for The Hitch-hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy first came to Douglas Adams as he was lying drunk in a field. It was 1971, and Adams was stargazing one night in a field in Innsbruck, Austria. He was strapped for cash, hitch-hiking from London to Istanbul with a stolen copy of Ken Welsh’s Hitch-hiker’s Guide to Europe. Adams later admitted to Welsh, “I got frantically depressed in Innsbruck ... When the stars came out I thought that someone ought to write a Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy because it looked a lot more attractive out there than it did around me." The radio series that kicked off the franchise first aired in 1978.

Where's Your Head At?

Where's your head at?
(Y'all know how it be)
Where's your head at?
Where's your head at?
(You don't make it easy on yourself)
Where's your head at?
(What you give is what you get...
Is what you get... what you get...) 
(Song by Basement Jaxx. Lyrics: Simon Ratcliffe, Gary Anthony James Webb, Felix Major Buxton )

My head is all over the place at the moment. And not in a good way.

But I'm hanging in there. 

Please be patient.

Normal service will be resumed, shortly.

“We are now cruising at a level of two to the power of twenty-five thousand to one against and falling, and we will be restoring normality just as soon as we are sure what is normal anyway.”

― Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

The Other Man's Grass Is Always Greener...

It is of course perfectly natural to assume that everyone else is having a far more exciting time than you. Human beings, for instance, have a phrase that describes this phenomenon, ‘The other man’s grass is always greener.’

The Shaltanac race of Broopkidren 13 had a similar phrase, but since their planet is somewhat eccentric, botanically speaking, the best they could manage was, ‘The other Shaltanac's joopleberry shrub is always a more mauvy shade of pinky-russet.’ And so the expression soon fell into disuse, and the Shaltanacs had little option but to become terribly happy and contented with their lot, much to the surprise of everyone else in the Galaxy who had not realised that the best way not to be unhappy is not to have a word for it.

(Douglas Adams, 'The Hitch-hiker's Guide To The Galaxy')

H is for Heart Of Gold

The starship Heart of Gold is the first spacecraft to make use of a remarkable form of propulsion called the 'Infinite Improbability Drive'. Unfortunately, at its official launching ceremony, the ship gets promptly stolen. And stolen by Zaphod Beeblebrox - you simply don't expect the Galactic President to steal the very ship that he is supposed to be launching!

The ship features in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, a comedy SF radio series created by Douglas Adams and which aired on BBC Radio 4 in 1978. The show has since been adapted in a variety of formats, including stage shows, a "trilogy" of five books, a TV series, and eventually a movie version, produced in 2005. Further versions are eagerly awaited. The photo above shows the ship as depicted in the movie.

Note: Karey Kirkpatrick, who worked with Douglas Adams as part of the movie adaptation in 2005, has described the Improbability Drive as a "plot contrivance machine", as it allowed Douglas the wonderful possibility of building elaborate plot-lines based on the wildest of coincidences - which, in other narratives, would be considered too improbable to be believed.

Overthinking - and Dealing With It

My name is Colin and I like to think.

I'm told this is increasingly rare nowadays. There's definitely a bit of a social taboo prevalent in modern society about thinking too deeply about anything.

I'm different, because I'm not made that way. For me, the problem is simply knowing when to stop. The best way that I can describe it is with the attached picture, found on the 'net.

I'll come in of an evening and I'll find it incredibly difficult to stop thinking through the things that have happened in my day. I might be mulling over something that happened; a new place I have been to; someone new I have met, some interesting fact that I've picked up; a conversation shared. Something or other will dominate my thinking.

My mind refuses to rest until I've processed whatever it is. If I come in too late in the evening, I find it very hard to slow down enough to sleep. I'll toss and turn, listening to my own internal dialogue reviewing my day over and over. Until it's all neatly in place. Until I've closed that last tab and shut down for the night.

I have read up a little on this. The human brain is created with the capacity to make billions of neural connections every minute and to soak up information like a sponge. Sir Kenneth Robinson claimed in a recent talk that children start to lose this ability once they enter the formal education system. He concludes that it's we teach them to fear being wrong. Eventually, children slowly stop offering their own creative, out-of-the-box ideas. True creativity is removed from the agenda.

Nevertheless, the adult mind is constantly gathering information in all sorts of ways - formal, informal, gossip, hearsay. If we have too much information at hand (and let's face it, in modern society information overload is easy!), our minds get overwhelmed. Add to that the fear of being wrong, is it any wonder that people choose either:

• to limit their choices (not to think too deeply)
• to explore their choices (ending up with a tendency to overthink)

___________________________________

Slartibartfast: Perhaps I'm old and tired, but I think that the chances of finding out what's actually going on are so absurdly remote that the only thing to do is to say, "Hang the sense of it," and keep yourself busy. I'd much rather be happy than right any day. 
Arthur Dent: And are you? 
Slartibartfast: Ah, no. [laughs] Well, that's where it all falls down, of course. 
(lines from 'The Hitch-Hiker's Guide To The Galaxy)

___________________________________

A lot of friends are aware of my tendency to overthink and suggest ways to help me, I'm keen to work on this too - not to stop thinking, but to discipline my thinking, and particularly to ensure that I can still hear God's voice and encouragement rather that my own internal dialogue.

More in part two, later this week

Finding My Purpose

"Ah … ! What’s happening?
Er, excuse me, who am I?
Hello?
Why am I here? What’s my purpose in life?
What do I mean by who am I?"
- the thoughts of the 'innocent sperm whale' from The Hitch-Hiker's Guide To The Galaxy, by Douglas Adams.

I'm coming to the end of the book 'The Purpose Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here For?' by Rick Warren - and have come up to the part where it asks you to define your purpose in life, to write it down to ensure you can retain your focus. Thinking about what to write has been at the back of my mind for a couple of days now - although it seems to be mixed up with a few other things - particularly the quotation about the whale from the Guide (my mind can be a strange and chaotic mixture of wisdom, stray thoughts and ephemera)...

In an effort to pin things down a little, I've been surfing the net to obtain additional background information on 'purpose'. Here's a few quotations that I'm mulling over today...

"The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honourable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well." ― Ralph Waldo Emerson

"The purpose of life is to contribute in some way to making things better. " ― Robert F. Kennedy

"Remember that our Heavenly Father knows us perfectly and knows what's best for us .... Surely, His knowledge is greater than ours. We just have to have faith in Him. If we don't, well, that doesn't change what happened, it just makes us more miserable because we refuse to trust His will. Our Heavenly Father wants us to have joy. And happiness. But we need to look for those opportunities that give us joy. If we don't, what would be the purpose for existing?" ― Jeri Gilchrist

There's also something in the back of my mind which seems to be relevant to today's blog entry. Somehow. These are words from a worship song called 'The Power of Your Love' (by Hillsong). The words simply won't go away today. It's linked to this topic. The lyrics say:

"Hold me close
Let Your love surround me
Bring me near
Draw me to Your side.
And as I wait
I'll rise up like the eagle
And I will soar with You
Your Spirit leads me on
In the power of Your love"

There's something inside me, so vital, so desperate to be heard, nagging away, insistent that I get ready to spread my wings; encouraging me to fly. Not just to plummet helplessly, like our friend the whale. To soar, unfettered, on the currents of air. This persistent prompting encourages me not to give up, to keep on trying. To that end, here's a smattering of quotations about flying - including another quote from Douglas Adams!

"If you hang out with chickens, you're going to cluck and if you hang out with eagles, you're going to fly." ― Steve Maraboli

"Once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you will always long to return." - Leonardo da Vinci

"There is an art, it says, or rather, a knack to flying. The knack lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss. … Clearly, it is this second part, the missing, which presents the difficulties." - Douglas Adams

M is for Marvin

This is a song voiced by Stephen Moore, the actor who originally played the eponymous 'paranoid android' from the radio series of the Hitch-hiker's Guide To The Galaxy. Produced in 1981, the single only reached number 52 in the British Charts, a fact Marvin would have found apt.



"Solitary solenoid,
Terminally paranoid,
Marvin..."

Emerging

I'm coming to the end of my period of convalescence. The next step is to look forward to emerging from the home where I have been cocooned for the last six weeks, regaining my independence and resuming my place back in 'the real world'. (Okay, so 'cocooned' isn't strictly true, but I have been reliant on others to run me around much more than is usual. It will be nice to get my hands on my car keys once again. Perception is everything!). Prayers are appreciated for Wednesday, which is when I see the specialist again.

The occasion seems a bit like starting the New Year all over again!

When attempting to ready myself for a return to 'normal service', I have been challenged by a prayer which I read on a blog lately, and quote it today. I've rewritten this slightly.

Lord, remove the obstacles in my life that prevent me from seeing You. Help me to see Your beauty with fresh eyes today. If there are things and/or people in my life who are blocking my blessings - please move them aside. I declare that 2011 will be a year full of abundance and overflow and I don't want anything standing in the way of that! Amen.

Please stand by.

“We will be restoring normality just as soon as we are sure what is normal anyway.” - Douglas Adams.

All A Question Of Time...

I've been given some consideration lately to one of the most precious things we could possibly have. It's something important to mention in this Blog - it's in the title! Yes, it's all a question of Time. I've been pulling some thoughts together for a meeting I'm preparing at the end of October (when the clocks change), so here are some quotations on the subject of Time:

"There is never enough time to do everything, but there is always enough time to do the most important thing" - Brian Tracy

"The future is something which everyone reaches at the rate of sixty minutes an hour, whatever he does, whoever he is" - C. S. Lewis

"Time is a companion that goes with us on a journey. It reminds us to cherish each moment, because it will never come again. What we leave behind is not as important as how we have lived" - Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart from 'Star Trek: Generations')

"Time is an illusion. Lunchtime doubly so." - from the Hitch-Hiker's Guide To The Galaxy, by Douglas Adams

"Today is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday" - traditional

"What then is time? If no one asks me, I know what it is. If I wish to explain it to him who asks, I do not know." - St Augustine

Ecclesiastes 3 (The Message)
1 There's an opportune time to do things, a right time for everything on the earth:
2-8 A right time for birth and another for death,
A right time to plant and another to reap,
A right time to kill and another to heal,
A right time to destroy and another to construct,
A right time to cry and another to laugh,
A right time to lament and another to cheer,
A right time to make love and another to abstain,
A right time to embrace and another to part,
A right time to search and another to count your losses,
A right time to hold on and another to let go,
A right time to rip out and another to mend,
A right time to shut up and another to speak up,
A right time to love and another to hate,
A right time to wage war and another to make peace.
9-13 But in the end, does it really make a difference what anyone does? I've had a good look at what God has given us to do—busywork, mostly. True, God made everything beautiful in itself and in its time—but he's left us in the dark, so we can never know what God is up to, whether he's coming or going. I've decided that there's nothing better to do than go ahead and have a good time and get the most we can out of life. That's it—eat, drink, and make the most of your job. It's God's gift.
14 I've also concluded that whatever God does, that's the way it's going to be, always. No addition, no subtraction. God's done it and that's it. That's so we'll quit asking questions and simply worship in holy fear.
15 Whatever was, is. Whatever will be, is. That's how it always is with God.

H is for Holistic (Dirk Gently)

Perhaps eclipsed somewhat by his better known creation 'The Hitch-Hiker's Guide To The Galaxy', Douglas Adams was also the writer of what is described as a "thumping good detective-ghost-horror-whodunnit-timetravel-romantic-musical-comedy-epic". 'Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency' is a humorous fantasy detective novel, first published in 1987. A surreal novel, probably because the plot is non-linear, the central concept being the fundamental interconnectedness of everything. The book touches on Chaos theory, holism (hence the title) and references to quantum mechanics.

Dirk makes use of these concepts to solve his cases, by running up large expense accounts and then claiming that every item (such as needing to go to a tropical beach in the Bahamas for three weeks) was, due to the "fundamental interconnectedness of all things", actually a vital part of the investigation.

The Total Perspective Vortex

Douglas Adams' classic 'Hitch-hiker's Guide To The Galaxy' talks about a machine called the Total Perspective Vortex, a wonderful piece of technology which is used to represent 'the most horrible torture device to which a sentient being can be subjected'. What is so horrible about this machinery is not what it might do to your physical form, but what it does to your spirit. As Douglas himself describes:

"For when you are put into the Vortex you are given just one momentary glimpse of the entire unimaginable infinity of creation, and somewhere in it a tiny little marker, a microscopic dot on a microscopic dot, which says 'You are here'."

I've recently been through the Vortex. The Vortex tried its best to make me look small. It showed me glimpses from my past where I had made decisions which have affected me right to the present day. Career choices, that sort of thing. It tried to ridicule me about the various 'issues' that I'm wrestling with at present, telling me how different it could have been. How it could be again, if only I would ditch my Salvationist principles. It demonstrated to me times when I had clearly been made to look small in front of others. And today, it showed me a website which presented me with details of a former mate of mine who I used to see regularly over twenty years ago. He's now a science-fiction author with a string of books to his name.

And what about me?

I'm looking at the future, not the past. I'm assured that the best is yet to come for me. I know that it's not fame, or glory, or even riches. So I'm excited to know what it could be.

H is for Hitch-Hiker's Guide To The Galaxy

Originally devised as a BBC Radio 4 comedy show in 1978, 'The Hitch-Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy' was later adapted to other formats (record, stage show, TV, novels, a film, even as a towel), and has become an international multi-media phenomenon (sic - so say Hitch-hiker Fans!). The series was created by Douglas Adams, who frequently rewrote the show substantially for each new adaptation, therefore the versions are often mutually contradictory. 

Essentially, the plot centres on Arthur Dent, the traditional 'common man', who is saved from the destruction of Earth by Ford Prefect, an alien researcher for the Guide. book, Accompanied by Galactic president Zaphod Beeblebrox, Marvin the Paranoid Android and Trillian (Tricia McMillan, a woman Arthur once met at a party in Islington), they set out to find the Question to the Ultimate Answer - the Answer To Life, The Universe And Everything.

In The Beginning...

Having been encouraged by friends to dip my toe in the water and to blog something, 'In The Beginning' seems a good place to start. Mainly because of a recent meeting with a bloke the other day (while I was out selling the War Cry in a local pub) who had such a peculiar spin on the Creation story...

You see, he said he had a problem with who and what I stood for because he couldn't get to grips with the Christian creation story. In particular, that part of the story where Adam ripped out his own rib, planted it in the ground, and waited until Eve grew up from the ground.

Erm...sorry?

Having re-read Genesis chapter 2 on my return home that evening, I fail to understand how he could possibly interpret that from what was written. Guess he'd never actually read it at all.

Remember the white mice in the Hitch-Hiker's Guide To The Galaxy? Having been unable to work out The Ultimate Question Of Life, The Universe And Everything - they decided just to make it up. And I guess there are plenty of folk who will just make up their own beliefs when the truth is too difficult/ scary for them to swallow.

C