Temporal Mirage

When something becomes part of the past, can it truly be experienced again? Sure, your hair will grow back, but it won't be the same hair, nor will it adorn the same head. It'll belong to a slightly older, different version of you. Yet, the longer haired you of the past isn't entirely lost. He lives on in memories and in the records of the past – images and videos.

Now imagine yourself 130 days older than that previous version of yourself. Quite a span of time, but it doesn't feel that long ago, does it? Just as optical illusions warp our sense of sight, temporal illusions distort our sense of time. Some are subtle, like a minute in line that stretches endlessly, while a day with friends whizzes by. Others are deeper, like the eerie familiarity we sense in recordings of people from long ago, or the way time sneaks by, making us question how songs from our childhood are now as old as the "oldies" were when we were born. Can I really be that old now? It's not surprising, I understand how time functions, yet it still surprises me.

Beyond mere mistakes, these illusions hint at another dimension of spacetime, one created not by physics, but by our minds. Let's explore the different ways we experience time. Consciously focusing on the passage of time as it unfolds is feeling time prospectively. However, we can't prospectively experience time that's already happened. Yet, you can probably estimate how long you've been reading this article without checking the time. You're using retrospective time, measuring it based on your memory.

Now, let's delve into our first illusion: the holiday paradox. A four-hour delay at an airport feels unbearably long, while an exciting day at your destination rushes past. These feelings depend on whether your activity is empty or full. Empty tasks are monotonous, unstimulating, unimportant, while full activities are brimming with sensations, novelty, significance, change, and challenge. I experienced this during my three days in isolation. Time crawled there, but now, years later, those three days seem fleeting.

Does time speed up as we age? Many feel that way. Childhood seems to last forever, while the years fly by as adults. The proportion theory suggests this feeling arises because each new unit of time is smaller relative to all that came before. However, studies find little evidence for faster retrospective memory as we age. It's the decades that seem to accelerate, creating the illusion of a faster past.

Our understanding of time is influenced by how we conceptualize events. We impose concepts on a continuous flow of experiences. Periodization, like labelling decades, chunks time into categories. The 80s, 90s – but when did these eras truly begin? Concepts help organize but can distort reality. Our perception of time and the past is shaped by concepts, and new technologies further influence this perception.

Technology accelerates our recording of events, making the past and present seem distinct. Today, change is rapid and significant, making the present unique. Yet, this acceleration also impacts our experiences. The TV paradox demonstrates that fast, stimulating experiences lead to a sense of time flying by. However, these experiences might not accumulate meaningful memories, creating a shorter sense of duration retrospectively.

We're living in a transitional period where the conquest of time makes our lives smaller. We experience shorter, rapid streams of information, creating a disjointed sense of time. Engaging all senses and using technology to build context could counteract this effect. As we navigate these changes, take time to truly experience time, even if it means occasionally feeling bored, missing out, or losing track.

In this transitional era, remember to cherish moments and engage fully in experiences, allowing time to control you at times. It might not always be the most exciting way, but it offers you more time within your life.