Time
They say time is relative. Probe them further and they say, how we “perceive” time is relative as well. An unpleasant moment seems like ages whereas moments of genuine happiness and satisfaction seem to last mere milliseconds. Or the other way round, depending on the state of mind you are in.
Which brings me to the question — as a species, why does time matter so much to us(apart from the obvious scientific and mathematical implications, that is)? Why does time measurement hold any relevance in our lives anyway? We don't see deer or sheep or lions or elephants ever being bothered about time passing by; I am sure some of you might be thinking “comparing humans to wildlife?” — well, remember, we are all animals in the jungle — we share much of our DNA with these creatures(up to 99 pc with Chimpanzees, for context) and have the same primordial instincts as these do — only the degree varies.
Well, I guess the answer to the above time-related questions can be summed up as :
Most of us humans are aware of our mortality— we are aware that the moment we are born on this planet, we are inching towards our demise — that’s an eternal, unshakeable truth — has been for millennia and probably will hold good in our near future as well — till our mad scientists finally figure out a way to defeat Death. It is this awareness/fear and our desire to leave a legacy, a better world for our future generation that leads us to be able to measure time to some extent and work towards maximizing prosperity and “happiness” for our future. Only when we measure time objectively can we know how much time has elapsed, what time are we left with to get our jobs done. Step back and observe how everything that we do is based on this very measurement — reach office on time, leave on time, spend time with family, call a cab which should reach your address on time, meet someone at someplace on an agreed point in time, watch a game on time… so on and so forth. All the innovations, advancements in modern science and technology, infrastructure, etc, everything can basically be boiled down to this — the limits to our presence on this planet and our deep desire to leave the world a better place than it was before we came in lead us to create wonders.
Or, maybe this measurement does serve a greater purpose — that of ultimately achieving immortality and God status. Think about it — if we can control Time, we can practically become superhuman and, possibly immortal — why bother about old age and possible death when we can reverse Time itself? That might be the ultimate objective. After all, who doesn't want to become God? :)
Either of the reasons might be true or maybe none of them is right, but the fact remains that the human race is trying its level best to make Time its slave rather than allow it to become their masters. Time and its control are possibly the last major hurdles between us and us as Gods in the future.
Only Time will tell what’s in store for us here.
