No Time – Some Time?

I will probably preface these posts from time to time, to say I am writing to sort out what I perceive life means.  This is a living experience and I expect my views and sense of things will evolve along the way.  If I give the impression that these thoughts are, “…just the way it is…” I will be giving a false impression.  I’m just curious and digging around to sort things out.

The Paradox - the ‘yes’ and the ‘no’

“Time, time, time is on my side - yes it is.” – Mick Jagger, The Rolling Stones
Were it only true!

The curious thing is that getting to ‘no time’ takes a ton of time!  This seems a bit strange, but I’m pretty sure this is the way it works...

In spite of the sense we have of being sophisticated and complex, we actually can do only one of two things in any given moment or circumstance: 

We can say yes and we can say no. 

You wear a shirt or blouse, trousers or skirt – You say yes to that piece of clothing - no to all the other clothes in your closet or dresser drawer. You might say yes to work - no to staying home; yes to a movie - no to a walk in the park; yes to one friend - no to another.  It all comes down to yeses and noes.

There is also a somewhat predictable outcome at these decision points.  A no has a singular result: Nothing will happen.  A yes on the other hand has two possibilities: Nothing will happen OR Something will happen. 

This may seem a bit oversimplified, but we are binary creatures confined in the moment to these two choices, whether it is the events presented or even the thoughts we choose to think and words we choose to speak. 

When we say yes, and something happens, we are presented with another set of options for a yes and no, and on it goes.  It is surprising how many things have been accomplished in this world because of the uncounted numbers of yeses that have been expressed - Nations built, machines constructed, communities established and friendships grown – all of this on the basis of the simple yes/no choice.

It is not just the yes that is important; the no also plays a central role. A no also leads to another set of choices, and so on and so on. It is the judicious use of the two that permit us to focus on the things letting exchange ‘time’ for ‘no time.’ 

This is the paradox.  To reach a state of ‘no time,’ one must learn the use of the yeses and noes to create the channel that will transport them into that place.

Life and Action

The most important thing we have in life is our word.  Without a dependable word, nothing works right – not our relationships, not our jobs – nothing!  This truth becomes self evident in our lives regardless of we recognize its value or whether we do not.  The more dependable our word, the greater the quality of our lives, the less dependable, the more difficulties we will have.

The second most important thing we have is time – that is to say, the hours in a day.  This is critical in understanding the great escape into the timelessness of ‘no time.’  It is the how we use our daily time that makes the difference.  There are a number of ways we experience little flashes of ‘no time’ that may greatly influence how we spend our entire lives, meaning increased periods of life experiences that allow us to have more timeless experiences.

There are many things that can take us to a place where time doesn’t seem to matter, but not all of them are meaningful.  We can busy our minds with the things of the day – what our neighbors, politicians, movie actors and actresses are doing – the gossip… Or we can find things to occupy our minds that build a foundation for the next idea that creates a healthy body of information and feelings.  If we do this in our daily lives, we will create a mature, life promoting and helpful world for ourselves. 

In this context, it is important to know we are in charge of our own lives, the CEO of our own company, the soul that makes all the decisions as to how we react.  We cannot always change our circumstances, but we can change the way we think about them.  William Henley in his Book of Verses, expressed this so powerfully in the Poem "Invictus" – the last four lines go like this:

“...It matters not how strait the gate

How charged with punishments the scroll,

I am the master of my fate

I am the captain of my soul.”

Action it is

This leads to a discussion and importance of action in life.  If there is one truth as sure as gravity – LIFE REWARDS ACTION is it!!  It doesn’t reward great vision, big dreams, best of intentions, hope that all will be well – It REWARDS ACTION PERIOD! 

All action is preceded by thought.  We do nothing we don’t think about in some fashion.  This is why it is important to be the in charge and work to direct the thoughts, therefore the actions, of our lives. 

So the way we engage and direct our thoughts is important, because the words we think is what we will say and do.  What we say and do is what we will become.  This means what we imagine in our minds and act upon is what we will be. 

Keep our thoughts elevated and so our lives will be.  Choose what to put in our minds, choose what ideas we think about, choose the words we speak and choose the actions we perform.  For surely this is the beginning of a conscious, deliberate, breath by breath, journey that will be filled with timeless moments – ‘no time!’

It is also important to look for things to put in front of us, to remind us how important words are.  I have had the following saying for many years.  I look at it from time to time. I am not sure the author, but it has been helpful for me.

“Watch your thoughts, for they become words.
Watch your words, for they become actions.
Watch your actions, for they become habits.
Watch your habits, for they become character.
Watch your character, for it becomes your destiny.”

 


- ted