Linear time is a major feature of our Western cultural world-view, apparently initiated by Newton some 300 years ago. It portrays time as an absolute physical reality, and says that the flow of time is independent of consciousness. Despite this independence, we somehow feel a flow of time within ourselves, and this internal mirroring of the 'real', constant external flow is considered normal. In fact, we use the phrase 'losing track of time' to indicate a kind of negligence when our internal feeling of time passing (FTP) doesn't 'accurately track' the presumed external flow of time. Our sense of time (SOT), the ability to estimate what the clock time is, seems somehow connected to our FTP, and is often believed to result from an internal biological mechanism that tracks or measures external time flow.
Our FTP is what is critical. It sets up familiar problems: time pressure, anxiety, overwhelm, and the feeling we don't have enough time. Some physicians say 90% of stress is related to time. But since FTP is thought to simply mirror external events, it's considered unchangeable, like the presumed constant external flow of time. So we're left with the prospect of--at best--adapting to an uncontrollable flow of time and its attendant pressure and transitoriness.
Our 'normal' cultural view of time is an artefact from a previous historical period. First of all, scientists have never discovered anything like a standard flow of time in nature. Physical and evolutionary events occur, but without a flow. Second, no physiological organ that measures the occurrence of external events has been discovered. Nevertheless, we are somehow able to measure or intuit clock time. Third, and most importantly, rather than measuring or mirroring an 'external flow', our FTP measures how much we're resisting what we're doing, and is the aggregate result of resisting past negative experiences. A composite of repressed energy, the FTP is independent of external physical events and speeds. In other words, our feeling of speed and time pressure is a product of past resisted experiences, and not a measure of current external forces or events. Full schedules and modern speedy technology are not the problem. This understanding can free us to dismantle the FTP, gradually moving toward the timelessness and fulfillment of peak experiences.
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