Time Paradox and the Rolling Stones

Just as one can find conflicting messages in the Bible, the same holds true in other media that carry a message.

In 1964, the Rolling Stones sang "Time Is On My Side."



Yet, 10 years later, the tune changed to "Time Waits for No One."



What happened during that 10 year passage of time jade Mick Jagger's perception of time, where time went from being his ally to being an indifferent enemy?

So what is it about time where one day it's a ally and the next day an enemy?

How can time both stand still and rapidly pass without notice?

So, what is time?

We all know what time is, but we would be hard pressed to give a description of time that did not involve clocks, watches, or calendars.

Even St. Augustine had this to say about time:

"What is time? If no one asks me, I know; but if I wanted to explain it to one who asks me, I plainly do not know."

All through the ages, philosophers have pondered the meaning of time, as well as that of space.

This is what Aristotle had to say about time:

"Motion must always have been in existence, and the same can be said for time itself, since it is not even possible for there to be an earlier and a later if time does not exist. Movement, then, is also continuous in the way in which time is - indeed time is either identical to movement or is some affection of it. ... The entire preoccupation of the physicist is with things that contain within themselves a principle of movement and rest. ... there being two causes of which we have defined in the Physics, that of matter and that from which the motion comes. ... It need hardly be pointed out that with things that do not change there is no illusion with respect to time, given the assumption of their unchangeability. "

And Spinoza had this to say:

"No one doubts but that we imagine time from the very fact that we imagine other bodies to be moved slower or faster or equally fast. We are accustomed to determine duration by the aid of some measure of motion."

So, according to at least 2 philosohopers, there is a major connectiong between time and motion.

Science seems to support this, or at least make convenient use of this principle, in its use in that it uses the vibrational frequency of the cesium atom to measure time.

But time is more than just a physical phenomenon of a specific atom.

Time is also a perceptual concept that influences our state of mind.

While researching the time paradox, I came across a website to a book bearing those very same words. I invite to click on that link and learn more about this book, authored by Philip Zimbardo & John Boyd. Maybe there would be something in that book that may prove useful to you.

One of the videos that I found interesting on that site was one called "Time and Punishment."



In the video, John Boyd postulates that the ones who get into trouble are the individuals who get into trouble are people who maintain a "present orientation" and are unable to plan for and avoid future negative consequences. And he maintains that the cruel paradox is that society restricts the "future orientation" of that person (i.e., having that person put in prison, time out, etc.), when in actuality it's that future orientation that keeps the person out of trouble and enables the person to live a more productive life.

But wait a minute.

That brings up another paradox. That contradicts a popular spiritual teaching that states that living in the present is what brings about peace and, ultimately, success in life.

I wonder if John Boyd and Philip Zimbardo address that point in their book.

So all in all, the subject of time and its paradoxes is a loaded subject, both in terms of physics and metaphysics.

What does "time" mean to you?