ILLUSION
REDEFINING TIME
Many people today feel that the world is speeding up around us; that global communications and the information age are condensing our perception of time and space. But the notion that time can speed up seems to contradict our basic understanding of the concept, since our clocks and calendars are built upon the notion that time is a universal constant, a linear process which began with the Big Bang and is moving, minute by minute, towards what has been called the Big Crunch.
Although this perception has been challenged by modern physics, the notion of constant, linear time can be seen as one of the defining characteristics of western culture. Indigenous cultures on the other hand, have tended towards a cyclical vision of time, like the Hindu concept of yugas.
This linear perspective of time has crept into our language, giving rise to statements like 'a race against time', or 'running out of time', or 'I can't find the time', notions that would appear utterly meaningless, if not absurd, to indigenous peoples. Many technological innovations are extolled for their ability to save time but, as Ivan Illich's calculation about the car shows, this is often no more than an illusion.
In fact, despite all the labour-saving gadgetry we have adopted within our lives, much of which has been sold to us on the premise that it would increase out 'leisure time', most of us complain about 'not having enough time' to do the things we would like - read books, hang out with the kids, go for a walk. As modern life becomes increasingly complex, and every form of technology gets faster and faster, time seems to disappear, turning into a rare and important commodity. 'Quality time' has become a sort of Holy Grail, that elusive concept to which we all aspire.
But where could it have gone? Is it not here, right now?