Dec 312009
Every year during the year change phase, I get reminded of how arbitrary this whole time thing is. I called my parents at 3 PM today to wish them a happy new year. They were already living in 2010. Or were they living in 2009 since I was calling them? Or were we both living somewhere in between, in a year-neverland akin to the areas that used to be between the two Germanys? We are all living now. But when is this now? Is it at the time I write this, the time in my timezone? But now is also 9 hours ahead, or 3 hours past depending on what timezone you’re in. See! It is mind-boggling to think about this! Is it 10 PM now or 1 AM? Well, it depends on your timezone – but why? Aren’t we all living now? Shouldn’t that now be now and not at some arbitrary time? Maybe now is now and not 10 PM or 7 AM. We’re imposing a time arbitrarily onto now, which creates a separation between all of us. We are really just living now.
In any rate: Happy New Year!!!
I love your post. I remember the first time I verbalized the man-made nature of time … Y2K. There I was in California, speaking to my family in the West Indies at their midnight, my 9 pm and New Zealand had brought in the milleneium New Year with fireworks, etc. many hours before that Your post and this memory got me thinking. Next year a bunch of friends and I are going to celebrate New Year with the Kiwis. Happy, Healthy & Inspiring New Year to you!
stick to zulu time, its the same around the whole world
I had to check on Zulu time – it is really real! It’s also known as Universal Coordinated Time…
This reminds me of a great quote I once heard. “Time doesn’t exist, clocks exist.”