After watching “The Revenant,” I felt inspired to immerse myself into experience. Whether the experience was a simple interaction or a struggle for life against a grizzly bear, I wanted to soak up the raw feeling of doing something. Leonardo DiCaprio’s character’s passion urged me to take control of my reality. However, the problem that seemed to be in my way was that I didn’t have enough time.
On break I had to divide my time between family, friends and work. I saw nowhere in my schedule to journey into the mountains, conceive and raise a Native American child and then build up enough anger over his loss to drive me past any preconceived expectations of what the human body is capable of. It’s highly unlikely because my main physical adversity is recovering from oversleeping. It’s daunting to look at how my youth is fading while my adulthood hasn’t even solidified. A strange limbo forms, leaving me feeling as if there is no time to accomplish anything.
Just as DiCaprio grew to not fear death because he had already faced it, I realized that time is nothing to fear either. I discovered, upon further dissection, that time doesn’t even exist.
Within a day we can experience a million moments or none at all. Immediately after leaving our dreams the past becomes irrelevant along with the future. The only true thing that we will ever experience is the present.
The definition of the present is not concrete. The present relies solely on our perception of what we experience and for how long. Many people associate the past, present and future with time. However, I want to tell you that time is only a concept. Take this as more than an abstract idea.
I want you my dear reader, wherever and whenever you are reading this, to step out of your predisposed anxieties and fully invest yourself into your setting. Feel the cool air fill up your lungs as your ribs expand and contrast to the beat of the world. Feel your heart pump life throughout you. Listen to the sounds of the world. Every little noise, from the whispering of voices to a creak in the wall, it’s all part of a waltz that the universe has orchestrated simply for your enjoyment.
These explorations can bring joy and awareness. Unfortunately, these feelings are impermanent. Eventually some chore will arise and you’ll leave these sensations. But what if we were able to create a timeless world within these sensations?
To restate what I previously said, time is a socially constructed concept, created in an attempt to bring order to the world. Keeping track of time allows us to coordinate our lives and divide them into categories. The negative aspect is that we let these categories dictate our well-being. We are told to feel down because it’s a Monday or happy because it’s a Friday. There is no difference between 7 a.m. or 10 p.m. because they do not exist.
There is never anything other than the present. We hold onto the past as if we can access it again. The past fades away just as the future constantly moves toward the distance. The only way to escape this social construct is to fully immerse yourself in the present. Do not live your life based off the day of the week, or what time it is or your age. It is not our choice to live in a time-dominated world. Our power lies within our ability to change perception and not let time influence who we are.
Sam Rios can be reached at [email protected] or @theeemessiahon Twitter.
