Time and place and transience. Part 1

Time and place and transience

(A theological reflection in 6 parts)

Time and place and transience

Part 1: Searching for a place to stand in a river of transience

I realise that I have particular concerns and interests in the issues of what it means to pass time – presumably in doing something in that time, and what it means to be in a place.

And a concern seems to be the problem of transience. What do time and place – and therefore life, for living means being in particular places at particular times – mean? It is, perhaps, the old and very basic concern about the meaning of our lives, given the transience of them, and, even more so, the transience of each moment of them.

One of the first and greatest concerns of the Greek philosophers, as humankind got round to thinking about these things was expressed in the understanding: “You can’t step into the same river twice”. This is because the river is constantly changing and, indeed, the person is also changing.

It’s possible that there is simply no answer to this problem, but the most enduring of the possible answers is Plato’s theory of the Forms. This, basically, argues that things are what they are because they partake in the essence of what they are. Although everything is always changing, you are what you are because you always contain the essence of what you are. This essence – eg humanity – can be expressed in an infinite variety, but everyone who has the essence of being human is human. And, to take it further, even though we are continually changing in the exact particulars of how we are being ourselves, we remain the same person because each of us retains the essence of being me. This theory of the Forms has directed humanity into the belief that there are essences. And, of course, if you have discovered the essence of something, then you “hold it in your hand” and it is yours. The changing nature of life does not mean that you are losing anything precious, because you have “captured” the essence of the thing. Yes, you are constantly changing, but, don’t worry, you always possess the essence of who you are. The river has surged on, but you keep hold of the essence.