It’s a fact of life for every living being. We live inside it, and can never escape it. We measure it obsessively, from the smallest scale to the galactic. If you lose it, there’s no getting it back. We consider it valuable, yet often think nothing of wasting it. You might think you have plenty of it, only to realize you are running short. Not one of us has any control over it. On one hand, it’s totally arbitrary. On the other, it’s never questioned.

What is this mystery of which I speak? Well, if you haven’t guessed already, it’s our ever-faithful companion — time. And just what is it anyway? It’s not a substance or a material thing, yet we refer to it as an “it“. We count it, we measure it, and our lives move through it. It’s more ubiquitous than the air that we breathe.  Is it an idea? A law? Another dimension?

When it comes to great works of culture, like art, music, or literature, a lack of time is considered a virtue. When a creation is considered ‘timeless’, it has achieved eternal status. The idea of time is akin to the notion of infinity or the metaphysics of an afterlife. Timeless moments in life become our most cherished memories.

Charlie Tart coined the term “consensus trance“ by which he was talking about the shared agreements that keep our society working. Think about driving for example, if everyone wasn’t cooperating in a trance of belief, trusting that everyone else is obeying the rules, it would be complete chaos. Some social constructs only work if everyone buys in.

Time is another excellent example of a shared agreement. Most of us have just experienced the biannual “spring forward / fall back” Daylight Savings dance that happens every year in many parts of the world. Nothing says “time is simply what we agree it is“ like suddenly getting up an hour earlier in the morning.

I’ve often wondered how weird it would be if different cultures in other parts of the world had different systems for time. Can you imagine? Yards to meters is bad enough. If we had to translate time measurements the whole world would be wonky.

Constant, consistent, and compelling as it is, our perception of time is highly variable. Think back to when you were a youngster during the first weeks of summer. If you were like me, it was as if you were gazing into an endless horizon of daydreaming days, hikes with your friends, and long lazy afternoons reading in your treehouse. Time flowing as slowly as cool molasses and as abundant as the summer sun.

Contrast that with your busy grown-up world, where you might be 10 days out from extended travel, as I am. Days are flashing by in the blink of an eye, with busy moments bumping into each other like bumper cars. Time is flowing as quickly as electricity through a wire. Indeed, where does the time go?

Among our metaphoric partners on the great dance floor of life, time is always there to embrace us. The trick is knowing how to go with the flow, and when to lead and when to follow. When to lean on it, and when to lift. The fastest way to wreck your well-being is to take on time as an adversary, and try to battle it. It will tackle you and take you down without fail.

The trick to befriending time is to become best friends with the moment. If you’ve ever been in the present-moment flow of creative expression, human connection, consciousness-raising movement, or simply at-one with the awe of nature, then you know how time can dilate and give you a timeless glimpse of it’s absence.

Moments are given to you one tick of the clock at a time. Welcome each one in turn with the best version of yourself that you can muster in that instant (and be kind to yourself if you fall a tiny bit short). Just stay present, you can trust there’s another one waiting for you just around the corner!

Much love till next week!

M+

Mark Metz
Director of the Dance First Association
Publisher of Conscious Dancer Magazine