I've noted in the River section of the website that I think the separation between past and future is tissue-thin. I say this because when you think about it, the present (right now, this instant) is really the thinnest slice of time. This moment, whatever your definition of it, has vanished. It's now in the past. The present, I maintain, is a tissue between past and future. So, today is December … [Read more...]
Light Rain, Soaked Ground, 58 Degrees, And Gray Skies
October 2, 2012 by
I’m looking out the window of my home office. A light rain falls. The ground is soaked. The temperature is 58 degrees. Gray skies.Let’s use this particular day to learn something about time and history.Go back over the brief description that I gave you of the day. Now, what does that day suggest to you if I said it’s early fall? What about early spring? For that matter, what about either summer or … [Read more...]
Light Rain, Soaked Ground, 58 Degrees, And Gray Skies
October 2, 2012 by
I’m looking out the window of my home office. A light rain falls. The ground is soaked. The temperature is 58 degrees. Gray skies.Let’s use this particular day to learn something about time and history.Go back over the brief description that I gave you of the day. Now, what does that day suggest to you if I said it’s early fall? What about early spring? For that matter, what about either summer or … [Read more...]
Water On The Rock
April 22, 2012 by
I've written this piece for The Commonplace Book, but I think it's important enough to insert here, too. Think of a big event in your life, something that you believe has left a deep impression on you since it happened. Got it? OK, I’d like you to go with me for the next minute of so. Keep your chosen event in the front of your mind. How much time has passed since the event occurred? Do you … [Read more...]
The Signs Of Speed On The River
November 28, 2011 by
What for you signals most powerfully the passage of time? It is watching your children grow up? Watching your grandchildren? Meeting classmates at a school reunion? Seeing extended family after a lot of years? Visiting a place from long-ago, such as your childhood home? Looking at old photos? Visiting the burial site of a loved one? The list goes on and on. What is it for you? Regardless of your … [Read more...]
The Present Trap
September 1, 2011 by
Live in the moment. Enjoy the now. And on and on. These are the admonishments we hear daily from media, pop culture, and the self-helpers. I think by and large, most people follow this advice, especially the young and the youthful. I know you're braced for me to lay out a counter-point, a counter-argument, and you're right to expect it. Before that, however, let me say that this live-in-the-now … [Read more...]
Fast Versus Vast: Time, Your Life, and History Unfolding
July 27, 2011 by
In your life time acts in two very strange, seemingly contradictory ways. On one hand, time is fast. You know what I mean--the years since some big event in your life pass more quickly than you ever expect. High school, college, wedding, birth of a child, and more, each of these rushes by so fast you can't believe it. But on the other hand, time is vast. By this I'm referring to all of the things … [Read more...]
