I made a remark to a friend recently about how I felt that time was speeding up. It was pointed out that this is, in fact, perfectly reasonable. When you are a toddler, a year is a huge proportion of your life - perhaps a third of it... and, by the time you are ten, that same year is only a a tenth of your time on earth. In your thirties and forties, that year is a much smaller proportion of the life you have experienced, and so it seems to be shorter... therefore, as you get older, the years pass more rapidly... so time speeds up!
I was reminded of the child's view of time earlier in the week...
Questioned in class by a Year 7 (First year of Secondary School - about 11 years old) "How old are you, Miss?"
My standard reply - "I'm very old... very, very old!"
First child turns to another and remarks as an aside: "Hmmm... very old... so she must be 37."
That child has a future in the diplomatic service if I'm not mistaken...
5 comments:
I am trying to convince a seminarian friend of mine that 63 is NOT old. Old is my parents, who are 84 and 89 this year. That is old.
Old is as old as one feels and thinks. As to time speeding up, for some reason that happens as one does grow older and I do not understand physics, so I cannot comment. If it is a metaphysical phenomenon, I can wax eloquent. We see and hear and are aware of more things from experience and as the interior life takes over from the exterior life, we have the greater awareness of our own end and particular judgement, which brings time into perspective.
Haha! Out of the mouths of babes....
But wait...were you back at school this past week? Oh you poor thing(s). We go back on Monday - but then I suppose you didn't break up on the 23rd!
37 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Be very careful, Zephy... that last comment might be thought to be rather ungallant of you...
(heheheheheh)
(...yes, we both know that the last time I saw 37 was on the back of a bus, but most people only get to see the mantilla... there's a reason for that!)
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