Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Memory and Fixed Properties of Time

Does time remember? It would seem yes, since time on earth can be measured and we can relate back to history with a fixed pen. Animal remains, rocks and other natural life leave their mark on the planet and tell the story of time. Since time is itself, immortal, these fragments of life leave a memory for future time or all time and past time. Time is fixed and memories can be good or bad but they are just memories. Consider the example of the traveling man and the bird or in this case, a fox. If the man follows the bird or the fox in one direction, it might lead him into a bottomless pit where it finally comes to rest and the man may perish at the point of destination. However, if there was a point of intersection that occurred before that fatal point of destination, the bird might avert the man to an alternate destination where the outcome may be vastly different. Such as a train traveling to one location is averted to a different destination when the tracks are switched. If the tracks weren't switched, the destination would be quite different, but in the end the specificity of the destination determines its fixed properties. The potential for fixed time opportunities always exist so while the man may perish due to the cunning of the fox or the bird that leads him to a bottomless pit, the interdependence and independence of both of these agents of time, would rule this as a time anomaly and thus, dispelled. Since the bird exists for the man and the two, are only separated by time and vice-a-verse. At the edge of the bottomless pit, before falling in, the man might remember where he has been or have some conception of the time that it took for him to reach this fatal point. Like when we say, my life flashed before my eyes, when encountering danger. The memory could have been good or bad, such as lovers traveling on the train who might have a good memory of that experience before reaching their final destination. But alas, that memory is fleeting or a rubbing point on the tracks of time. Since overall time is fixed and we are only standard bearers in the hourglass of time, memory is only a by-product or non-product of our time-telling role. Thus, the impact of bad or good memories on our psychology should be evaluated by the ultimate value of time. Since bad can be good and good can be bad, it should not unhinge us from our ultimate time-keeping role, which is to honor our immortality or immortal being. Irrespective if the train traveled straight ahead or was averted in one direction or the other, it is only a vehicle of time, covering a specified distance, and the destination, while good, bad or even fatal, does not overrule our logical apportioning of time. Thus, memories are created due to our time-keeping role, but those memories do not lessen us or enhance us but only pay homage to our immortal being. How are we utilizing our immortal being with respect to our time-keeping role? It seems necessary to dispel our memories or unremember ourselves in order to live an immortal life. If we are promised any success in such a task, our lives would become transcendental.

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