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It is a widely accepted adage that,
"The older you get, the faster time seems to go." But why should
aging have this effect? After all, there is the parallel adage that,
"Time flies when you are having fun." But as we age, time flies
whether we are having fun or not.
So what's going on?
I have recently been trying to understand the phenomenon, because for
the past several years many of my days have been extremely long, yet
the years still seem to be accelerating.
To tackle the problem, I did an Internet search to see what others
were saying on the subject. Nearly all the returns had to do with
parenting. "Oh, they grow up so fast. The days are long, but the years
are short." This is perhaps a partial explanation; however, since the
phenomenon occurs just as well to people who have no children, it
cannot be the whole answer.
Some other comments had to do with getting religion.
"I found God at
the age of 30 and every day since I have been waiting to go to His
kingdom. I am now in my 80s. |
Oh, the days have been so long, but the
years have been so short." Again perhaps a partial explanation;
however, since the phenomenon occurs just as well to non-believers as
believers, it cannot be the whole answer either.
Many comments were philosophical. They said simply to accept the
phenomenon and live each day to the full. Good advice, but again no
advance in understanding.
I then turned to science. I typed in the search words "psychology
of time". This turned up hundreds of articles, most of which were
very technical, dealing with brain structure and functions,
neurotransmitters and the like. To narrow the search, I typed in both
"psychology of time" and "days are long". And got nothing at all!
Finally, I decided to sit quietly and ponder the matter myself. This
turned about to be a wise decision, because I think I found the
solution. It's really quite simple. It all has to do with
"anticipation" and "retrospection".
Whatever the nature of our individual lives, we all anticipate things
important to us. Then after they happen, we look back at them. For
example, most school children look forward to the long summer
vacation, which always seems to be an eternity away. Finally, it
arrives. Then, almost before they blink an eye, it's over and they are
back in school again.
Progressing from primary school to secondary school is another
excruciating anticipation for a youngster, especially if the move is
perceived as being an important step away from childhood into
adulthood.
And so it goes. When anticipated, each new significant event seems to
be excruciatingly far away. However, after the event, we regularly
look back and exclaim. "Did it really happen that long ago?"
Our first love, our first heartbreak, driving a car, landing a job,
marriage, etc. When we look forward, all these milestones seem
impossibly far in the future. However once achieved, how quickly they
recede into the past.
The older we get, the more milestones we have to look back on. So the
farther and faster they appear to recede. So if sometimes the clock
may seem to have stopped, the calendar always continues racing ahead.
For me, the high point of my life was joining the Peace Corps and
serving as a volunteer teacher of math, physics, and journalism in
Tanzania. I applied for a Peace Corps posting early in my senior year
at UCLA. Processing the application took only about three months --
perhaps the longest three months of my life. It seemed more like three
years. I was accepted and sent abroad for two years – the shortest two
years of my life, because I was having so much fun.
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When I returned to Los Angeles, I could
hardly believe the adventure was already over. The first week back seemed
extremely long, because my heart was still beating 10,000 miles away.
However, the weeks rapidly became shorter and shorter, then the first year,
then the second year, and so on. I couldn't believe it when the first decade
had passed, then the second, and so on. I went to Africa with the Peace
Corps in 1965 and returned in 1967. More than 40 years ago! I of course have
had many other milestones in my life, which are all rapidly hurtling away
from me. Even the most recent ones already seem to be covered in dust. I am
now 65. I don't feel old, but somehow I just can't get my mind around the
fact that many of these things already look like ancient history. If
accumulating milestones is truly the secret of the accelerating years, what
do we do about it? Basically nothing; we just have to accept it. However,
this is not necessarily a negative. |
True, the good things are coursing away faster and faster into the
past. But so are the not-so-good things. The story is told of the
biblical King Solomon. He once called his wise men together and
presented them with a challenge. "Find me a cure for depression." They
meditated for a long time, then gave him the following advice. "Your
Majesty, make yourself a ring and have engraved thereon the words:
This too shall pass." He had the ring made and wore it constantly.
Every time he felt sad or depressed, he looked at the inscription,
which tended to lift his spirits. "This too shall pass." Indeed, it
shall. Whether positive or negative, nothing in life lasts forever,
even if it sometimes feels as if it will. We are certain of this
because we know even life itself doesn't last forever.
We are all born to die. What happens after that is the subject of
considerable controversy. But whatever it is, we are certain it is
going to happen, and that it will almost certainly be different from
whatever we know today.
Since I am now in my seventh decade (I am 65), for me this
inevitability will probably occur sometime within the next 20-30
years, and almost certainly within the next 40 years. This seems like
a very long time. However, the years are accelerating, so when it does
occur my most probably reaction will be: "What! Already!".
Contributed By: Philip Yaffe is a former reporter/feature writer
with The Wall Street Journal and a marketing communication consultant.
He currently teaches a course in good writing and good speaking in
Brussels, Belgium. His recently published book In the “I” of the
Storm: the Simple Secrets of Writing & Speaking (Almost) like a
Professional is available from Story Publishers in Ghent, Belgium (storypublishers.be)
and Amazon (amazon.com).
For further information, contact:
Philip Yaffe Brussels, Belgium
Tel: +32 (0)2 660 0405
Email:
phil.yaffe@yahoo.com
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