Do we need time, or does time need us?

If a tree falls in the forest, does it make a sound? Audio waves are produced,  but without a device (organic or otherwise) there is nothing to translate those waves into a sound. At least, that is how the argument goes.

If nothing existed, would there be time? Before we are born, time doesn’t touch us. When we die, time again has no meaning. Time is only for the living. It also keeps everything from happening all at once.

Time is simply an automatic mechanism of existence, but it is also part illusion. Spinoza believed that time is perspectival, meaning it comes from the relationship between humans and the universe. Einstein explained it similarly through his theory of relativity. Putting your hand on a hot stove for one second can seem like an hour. Talking to an attractive woman for an hour can seem like one second.

So do we need time? There’s no way around it. We need time like we need our brains. Do we want more time than what we are allotted? Most people will say yes. Sadly, cemeteries are full of people who took their own lives. They made the decision that they didn’t need more time.

Me, I don’t think about it much. I move from day to day, happy for what I have in the moment. Each day is a gift – even the sucky days.