Time--Damian

It was a cool autumn afternoon. There was a small breeze outside as I glanced through

the window every few seconds after falling out of the hypnosis from my teacher’s entracing

dialogue. A leaf blew by and I wondered, this week is lasting way too long. My teacher caught

me lacking, and I had to play once more. As my fingers raced across the keys and the final

notes of moonlight sonata, the chord reverberated throughout the room, and died out as quickly

as my piano career. That day was my last day I ever had a piano lesson, as I was beginning to

become busy with high school. On that day, I had a whole week of work planned ahead, and I

was dying for it to end. On the car ride home, I thought to myself, “time passes really quickly,

and if I view this from a different perspective, it may help me.” I decided to try a trick, where I

would snap my fingers and forget about the snap. When I would remember the snap again, I

would reminisce about how time flies so fast. That day was during August of my sophomore

year. I have remembered that day, the day I snapped for over a year now, and the time span

only ever increases.

Time is relative, according to Einstein. If an observer moves faster than the speed of light, time

slows down, and vice versa. Even in a non physics setting, time can still be viewed as relative.

For a five year old, time passes slower than my friend getting ready for school. For a fifty year

old, time could go as fast as the speed of light. Time is all based on the observer. So, why does

it that people view time differently? There are several theories as to why time is viewed

differently, but the most common one has to do with age. At a younger age, a smaller increment

of time will be a larger portion of one’s life than compared to an older person. For example, one

year will be one-fifth of a five year old’s life. For a twelve year old, one year is only one-twelfth of

their life. This makes the year less meaningful, and possibly why time passes faster. Another

theory is that time passes faster when you live a life of more repetition. Have you ever had a

weekend where you did so many things, and it felt as if it would never end? Have you ever had

the most boring and routine week and it ended in a snap? All of these perspectives help

demonstrate how time is relative to the observer. With the fact that time flies faster when we get

older, it makes us want to invest that time as best as possible, and make the most use of it. As

humans, do we really use all that time that well? Ever since I was a child, I have wondered why

people would hunker down for five, ten, fifteen, over twenty years just to master a craft or focus

on a single thing. I wondered if they were missing out on life and all it has to offer. At this

moment, I realized that time is just like money. The more you invest, the more you get out.

Those people who invest so much time get to enjoy their life, do the things they love at a high

skill level, and they get to enjoy the life they have prepared so much for. Those who live day by

day and do not invest, fall into the time trap of repetition and routine, and their time passes in a

snap.

So, what is it you can get from reading this long and monotonous jumble of words? Time is

ticking away as we grow older, and our time will come to a close at some point. LIke money,

time is a currency. Reflect on your life and ask yourself if you have spent your time well.

Whether you have or have not, that time is gone, and can never be obtained again. Explore and

grab upon new opportunities. Taking on new challenges and exploring will make your time much

more memorable. Another thought is to actually enjoy the time period of life you are currently

living in. People almost never live in the present moment, as they always are thinking about

what is ahead or what they have left behind. Time is limited, so enjoy the moment wherever you are at, 

especially if your time is coming to a close. 

Well, I think my time here is over.