2012 & The End of Time
It's New Year's Day, and I still don't have a resolution. Not only that, but I also could not simply reflect upon the year gone by as I normally would have every December 31, just before it gets sent to the archives all wrapped up with a shiny bow. I just couldn't do it. Not this year at least. And that feels fine, for one thing is certain above all else.
Time will keep marching on no matter how I choose to honor its passage.
Time is a funny concept. For something so made-up, it certainly seems to carry a whole lot of weight. Even more, it constantly marches to the beat of its own drummer. We can hear that funky beat, and no matter what we may think of it, we can choose to dance to its always-perfect rhythm. We may also wish we could slow it down or speed it up, yet none of that matters to time. You see, time doesn't care how quickly it passes. Only we do.
We often say that time isn't kind, as if it were a person with feelings and the capability to hurt us. But how could a measurement of absolutely nothing do any harm? Time is always kind, or at the very least neutral. It has to be, unless we really don't like what we are doing with it. Then it becomes our enemy. Time sure isn't kind when we feel like we are wasting it being untrue, unproductive, unhappy, or any of the other "un's" we can come up with. There is really no time to waste, partly because there is no time at all.
Which brings up the quality of timelessness.
Whenever I ponder the things we often classify as timeless, I first hear music. For me, Beatles songs come to mind, namely those first few piano chords of "Let it Be", or the beginning guitar strums of "Yesterday". I think of movies I could watch over and over, with my all-time favorite "E.T." leading the list. I'm not sure what makes these pop-culture benchmarks timeless, except (by that very definition) that each one seems to linger there in the atmosphere, unattached to calendars or occasions, and each far outliving its prescribed ten minutes of fame. Will they still feel as timeless in twenty years? Fifty? Only time will tell.
If I had to guess, I would say 'yes' mainly because timelessness is not really about time itself. It seems to have more to do with inspiration. With honesty. With heart.
When something touches the human heart, it appears to transcend time. It could be songs or movies. It could be words, a kiss, a hug, a smile. It can definitely be other people. No matter the source, it is always supremely meaningful. Whatever taps into the love in our hearts seemingly does so without the constraints of time. Real love is absolutely timeless.
Consider those we have loved the most in life. For myself, that list includes some who have passed from this earth and are no longer in bodily form. Yet my love for them is still intact. I still feel their presence, still feel that connection. It's so real, and none of it depends on being able to talk to them, see them, or touch them again. This love is not only timeless, it is also formless.
Alright then. I think it's resolution time.
In 2012, I resolve to live more in that timeless space of my heart. To experience more of those moments of pure presence where time just seems to stand still. To stop considering, even for a second, how much time I have wasted in my own mind, and instead focus on cultivating all the potential that is right here inside of me. If there is such a thing as time, then there is no time like the present to live my life with more honesty, more inspiration, more depth of heart. The time is now to continue unearthing my gifts, to know myself ever better, and to keep removing the blocks and deterrents that minimize my contributions to this wondrous planet of ours.
If time is of the essence here, then I can think of no better ways to spend my time in 2012.
After all, that timeless space in my heart doesn't care what year it is. It only cares about being acknowledged. The love that resides there just wants to be tapped and shared. It is ready. It is always ready. It knows no boundaries. It doesn't wear a watch or look at a calendar. It has no need for time. In fact, time is a only a condition by which the heart cannot abide.
So here's to 2012, and the end of time. Maybe this is what the Mayans had in mind.
Time will keep marching on no matter how I choose to honor its passage.
Time is a funny concept. For something so made-up, it certainly seems to carry a whole lot of weight. Even more, it constantly marches to the beat of its own drummer. We can hear that funky beat, and no matter what we may think of it, we can choose to dance to its always-perfect rhythm. We may also wish we could slow it down or speed it up, yet none of that matters to time. You see, time doesn't care how quickly it passes. Only we do.
We often say that time isn't kind, as if it were a person with feelings and the capability to hurt us. But how could a measurement of absolutely nothing do any harm? Time is always kind, or at the very least neutral. It has to be, unless we really don't like what we are doing with it. Then it becomes our enemy. Time sure isn't kind when we feel like we are wasting it being untrue, unproductive, unhappy, or any of the other "un's" we can come up with. There is really no time to waste, partly because there is no time at all.
Which brings up the quality of timelessness.
Whenever I ponder the things we often classify as timeless, I first hear music. For me, Beatles songs come to mind, namely those first few piano chords of "Let it Be", or the beginning guitar strums of "Yesterday". I think of movies I could watch over and over, with my all-time favorite "E.T." leading the list. I'm not sure what makes these pop-culture benchmarks timeless, except (by that very definition) that each one seems to linger there in the atmosphere, unattached to calendars or occasions, and each far outliving its prescribed ten minutes of fame. Will they still feel as timeless in twenty years? Fifty? Only time will tell.
If I had to guess, I would say 'yes' mainly because timelessness is not really about time itself. It seems to have more to do with inspiration. With honesty. With heart.
When something touches the human heart, it appears to transcend time. It could be songs or movies. It could be words, a kiss, a hug, a smile. It can definitely be other people. No matter the source, it is always supremely meaningful. Whatever taps into the love in our hearts seemingly does so without the constraints of time. Real love is absolutely timeless.
Consider those we have loved the most in life. For myself, that list includes some who have passed from this earth and are no longer in bodily form. Yet my love for them is still intact. I still feel their presence, still feel that connection. It's so real, and none of it depends on being able to talk to them, see them, or touch them again. This love is not only timeless, it is also formless.
Alright then. I think it's resolution time.
In 2012, I resolve to live more in that timeless space of my heart. To experience more of those moments of pure presence where time just seems to stand still. To stop considering, even for a second, how much time I have wasted in my own mind, and instead focus on cultivating all the potential that is right here inside of me. If there is such a thing as time, then there is no time like the present to live my life with more honesty, more inspiration, more depth of heart. The time is now to continue unearthing my gifts, to know myself ever better, and to keep removing the blocks and deterrents that minimize my contributions to this wondrous planet of ours.
If time is of the essence here, then I can think of no better ways to spend my time in 2012.
After all, that timeless space in my heart doesn't care what year it is. It only cares about being acknowledged. The love that resides there just wants to be tapped and shared. It is ready. It is always ready. It knows no boundaries. It doesn't wear a watch or look at a calendar. It has no need for time. In fact, time is a only a condition by which the heart cannot abide.
So here's to 2012, and the end of time. Maybe this is what the Mayans had in mind.
Comments