Time

It’s funny how Newton’s laws of motion apply so aptly in real life. Just to put them in perspective, the first law is that of inertia, that is, the tendency to maintain status quo and resist any force that changes the state of rest to motion, or vice-a-versa. The second law is that the force required to change the state of motion or rest, that is, to cross the threshold of inertia, is directly proportional to the mass. The third law is that every action has an equal and opposite reaction.

Before I begin with the analogy, it would only help the context if I define what I mean by life.The definition of life according to me is a journey in time and space. The state of motion or rest in a person’s life is the state of his/her being, that is, the state of mind and the daily routine, the progress in life or the lack of it. Now comes the application of the above principles to real life. We all have inertia; we prefer a particular state of being once we are comfortable in it. We don’t want it to change, and resist any kind of disturbance to such a state of being. Be it any type of living arrangement, any job, any stage of life (like growing up is a painful experience, when you realize the steady rate of exchange of freedoms with responsibilities), or any life style, once we are comfortable in it, we just don’t want it to go. This, according to me, is the application of the first law, that of inertia.

The second law is a little hard to understand. We won’t normally understand its application until we realize the force that constantly operates on us and affects our inertia. That force is time, in an all-encompassing sense, referring to destiny, physical time, and the ups and downs. In my opinion, time is a bigger force than any human being, or any country. Whenever there is a clash with time, time will always win. However, when there is no clash, it only means that we face consequences of our own actions. [Even a half volley or a full toss or a long hop needs to be put away to the boundary, otherwise, it is as good as a Yorker or an unplayable perfect bouncer!] And therefore, according to the second law (F=m*a), time is always a constant force to change our inertia of rest or motion.

The third law applies most interestingly. We tend towards making things still, towards establishing a routine, to familiarize ourselves with the time while it keeps moving us. However, when time leaves us still, we are even more troubled by it, to be in a rut. This way, we both like as well as dislike certainty, and consequently, both dislike as well as like uncertainty. Thus, our affinity towards certainty does follow the third law, that is, when time gives us uncertainty, we seek certainty and calm, and when time gives us certainty, and keeps us still, we seek to bring our life in motion, towards uncertainty – a perfectly equal and opposite reaction.

When it comes to our approach towards time, I see two possible extreme states of mind. One extreme is where everything needs to be so perfectly prepared as if a person jumps ahead in time to see and live everything before he/she actually lives the present. There is a lot of insecurity and paranoia, and a strong aversion to any unexpected situation in this approach. The other extreme is to jump in unaware wherever life takes you. This approach requires a taste for adventure, very low desires, capacity to sustain beatings, and a great deal of improvisation.

Of course, we can’t even stop doing everything and be at the mercy of time, because this constant overpowering force of time is also not predictable, certain, or constant. It keeps changing its magnitude and direction. If you persistently try for whatever you want, maybe when time favours it, you’ll get it. That is when we need real conviction, belief, and patience, to not give up or doubt ourselves when time doesn't favour us.Thus, there are two lessons to be learnt from the uncertainty of time –a) there is no point being on either of the two extremes mentioned above, and b) that only a balance between the two extremes (that is, to keep trying to control our life and yet have low desires, and a great deal of improvisation) can help us deal with our tormentor, time.

One thing that time is constant and certain about, is the reduction it causes to our lives, with each day, each hour, each second of time that we spend, we lose it only to never get it back. As long as we value it in our thoughts and actions, and not waste it on reading stupid blog posts like this, we are not losing out on life. By the way, the fact of existence and life of a person and the constant struggle for survival is itself an equal and opposite reaction to the ultimate goal of time. It is always up to a person to end his/her life, yet we labour on with it,with all the baggage of emotions and responsibilities as if life is some uncontrollable trip that cant be stopped. Since we choose to not end it, much rather enjoy it than regret it.