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one perspective, but how often do you stop, take a step back and think to yourself that time

is only a man-made concept and what we have defined as eternity is a description of the true

nature of existence? Eternity is what exists in nature while it is in equilibrium. The tree is not

saying to itself I have to grow here by 4 PM and the bird is not telling its babies that it will

return to the nest with food at lunch time. All nature is always in the now moment(notrelying on man-made time) and evolves with the movements of the celestial bodies and most

importantly, the cycle of sunlight, darkness and the change of the seasons. Nature seems to be

very productive without the assistance of time. Not only is timea man-made concept but it

is one that pretty much determines every moment of our existence. It tells us when we will

sleep, work, eat, go to the bathroom, study, love, laugh, play, have fun, run errands, etc. but

more importantly, it tells us when we are allowed to live. Let us keep these thoughts in mind as

we dive deeper into the subject

Timeis not a bad thing! In fact, it probably is the most important tool we have. I can

confidently say that I dont think we would be living in our modern day world with all the

conveniences afforded us had we not had timeas our guide. Not only has it allowed us to

measure the moments during the day and be a means of expressing the time of day while

engaged in communication with our fellow human beings, it has allowed us to sync ourselves

with others by adding the phenomenon of time to our ever present experience of space.

Could you imagine our world, the resulting confusion and lack of organization if there was no

such thing as the concept and expression of time? It is safe to say that we would certainly not

be living in this modern day world if we lacked the principle of time.With the absence of

time, we would not have any means of measuring production of food, clothing and all the

other material goods that we enjoy and often times take for granted. It was the invention of

time that provided our ancestors with a different means of determining what time of the year

to prepare the fields, plant crops and when to harvest them without having to rely on very

careful observation of the movements of the sun and celestial bodies in relation to the earth.

How different a world we would live in had time not been a tool that we have utilized in the

evolution of food production! There are countless other topics that I could mention that would

stress the importance of time in regards to the evolution of humanity but I will leave that up to

the reader if they wish and continue on with how time effects the theory of now.

Have you ever done something that you wish you could take back? Sure, we all have!

While we cannot go back in time to erase that event from history, we can start to shift our

perspective of life and the experience of time to always living in the now moment. Why

should a person live in the now moment you are probably wondering? Because every

moment that you experience is now, and that now is your life with the minutes ticking

away on the clock and what you continually decide to do in the nowis what will not only

determine your destiny in this lifetime but it is how the world will remember you when you are

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no longer living. If a person is mindful that the time is always now, they will realize how

truly valuable time is and how their perception of it has a tremendous effect on how their life

progresses. In a sense, the concept of time and now merge into one point of perception

that is continually being experienced. If you remember, earlier in the article, I mentioned the

word eternity;if you adjusted your perspective to the point of perception of observing andexperiencing what is continually being experienced at the present moment, you would be

experiencing eternity right here and now. When we realize the priceless fact that now is the

only moment we ever have and are living, I am a firm believer that life will become much more

meaningful to the people living it. If a person wakes up every morning in the now thinking

that the day ahead of them is going to be a bad one, it most likely will be and everything that

happens during that day will also likely be reacted to in that same negative manner. And vice

versa; if a persons first moments of waking up in the now from sleep are in a sense of

gratitude for living and having the opportunity for another day, chances are that person is going

to have an outstanding day because they are going to be mindful of how beautiful and sacred

every moment is as time passes in the now, allowing them to accomplish much more than

someone who does not see the sacredness of time.

Perception is a very major part of our existence, in fact, probably the only part of our

interaction with this experience we call life. Google defines perception4as the ability to see,

hear or become aware of something through the senses. It is safe to say that our life pretty

much consists of the five senses: seeing, hearing, touching, tasting, and smelling. I would also

add that we have a sixth sense, or our faculty responsible for memory/intuition/thinking/bodily

& neurological processes; basically everything that the brain does. I think it can be said with

positive assurance that if we are alive, we are constantly thinking. The most important part of

the theory of now is what are we thinking or doing each and every now moment? Are we

actively engaged with the awareness of the beauty and possibilities of every moment? Are we

mindful of the fact that the now is the moment we are always living and will never get back?

Are we perceiving life in a positive manner and contributing to the well-being of others or are

we looking at what we are experiencing in the now as something negative and contributing to

the destruction of ourselves and others? These are all great questions to ask ones self when

approaching the theory of now. How much more likely are we to do the right thing if we are

mindful that now is the moment we may regretfully reflect on in the future if we are todo

the wrong thing in the present moment? I tend to agree with the common belief held byhumanity dating back to the times of antiquity, that there is a force of karma or cause and

effect in this life; best communicated by the famous quote from Galatians 6:7 in the Holy Bible,

Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. It

is my opinion that karma is a natural law or a law of nature. If a person is mindful of the law of

karma and living in the now, that person would be the most properly equipped to live life and

the lessons it teaches while effortlessly navigating the experience as it unfolds. This experience

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is best described by Socrates in a quote from the Sixteenth Dictumof the Turba

Philosophorum that has been utilized heavily in the alchemical tradition when describing an

advanced state of the Magnum Opus, whereas life becomes womens work and childs play5.

The reason I utilize this quote is because in the later part of the alchemical work, there is no

longer anything to do but pass the time; which is similar to my theory of now because thereis nothing else to do except pass time while living in the now.

Having explained the theory of now, I will leave it up to you, dear reader, as to

whether you embrace it or throw the baby out with the bath water. I have the greatest

confidence that anyone who chooses to pursue this perspective of experiencing life will reap

untold benefits and it will contribute to the participator getting the most out of life that is

possible. In fact, applying it to my own life has manifested an experience that I could not

describe as anything less than magical.I also recommend for one to utilize the power of

unconditional faith with this theory but that would require many additional writings, pose an

additional challenge for the participator and would be a distraction from my main point, which

is: take a step into eternity, where time and now merge. Make time your tool and dont

allow time to get the best of you. For time is one of the greatest tools we have, especially

when it is used right now.

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

1. time. Google Search. Google. 20 January 2014.

2. now. Google Search. Google. 20 January 2014.

3. eternity. Google Search. Google. 20 January 2014.

4. perception. Google Search. Google. 20 January 2014.

5. Socrates. "Sixteenth Dictum." Turba Philosophorum(900 A.D.). The Alchemy Web Site. 27

Jan. 2014