Passing the time. Part 1

Passing the time

(A philosophical reflection on what the passing of time means. In 5 parts)

Part 1: Sitting in my sunny window this morning

I want to consider what the passing of time means.

This morning, I sat by the window at the back of my house as the glorious morning sun poured in. It is late April and I am in awe at how the rising sun has moved so far over to the east from where it was in December. I have not even had breakfast yet and it is already so high in the sky. This is the time of year I love the most – the Springtime, and, in particular as the days lengthen out to that longest day. I can imagine the great weight of the sphere of the earth spinning through space, reaching out further and further on its ability to tilt towards the sun, till it reaches the outer limit of what it can do. And then I am sad and deflated that the light starts to withdraw. The earth can reach no further and we must head back into the dark and winter’s cold.

I must not overdo the sadness. The days after the solstice are very nearly as long as the longest day, and the warmth of summer is still to come. And in my life in human society, there is the wonderful long summer holiday to look forward to. I am also fully accepting of the way things are. If I have rejoiced in the lengthening days and marvelled at the laws of the universe that make this possible, then I must accept that the cycle turns. And it will renew itself again next year. And a key saying of mine is, “The dark is not dark to the Lord” so I have no fear of the dark. And if I can no longer revel in the experience that each day is a bit longer than the last then I can find many other things to rejoice in. But I am just saying that I adore that sense of heading towards the longest day and the movement of the sun in the sky.

As I sat this morning, basking in the warmth of the sun I interrupted myself by intruding the horrid thought, “Yes, the days are getting longer, but that will go into reverse”. That, of course, spoils the experience. It was not a “natural” thought, in that, it was not part of the experience of the moment, and that moment is held in the understanding that I’ve expressed above that, of course I know that the pendulum will swing back towards the darkness. I sort of forced myself to confront the fact that the beauty of this moment is transitory. So, let’s consider the passing of time to see what we can learn, and to reassure ourselves that it is fine to enjoy the wonder of each moment without spoiling it by adding in the fear that it is all transitory.