Time in Physics vs. Experiential Time

In Physics time is linear .We as humans have divided time into e.g 24 hrs a day, different seasonal time which go in cycles etc. Well, for person like me such “scheduled time” has given a continuous rhythm in my day to day life and I appreciate that.

However, in this post, I am trying to explain time with a new dimension...time measured with our senses. I think we can call it “experiential time”- something that we derive from our senses and our own  experiences and interpretations of those experiences in our brain...cognitively.

What is this experiential time?
I may not have a solid definition per say. But let me elaborate. It is that dimension of time that comes in a way we experience world around us.

Here are some examples with some peculiar characteristics of this dimension .

1. This time can contract and expand -
 e.g. when we are reading a book, talking with our friends, gardening or doing any activity where we loose track of time- Sometimes we say - “time just flies” or “we have lost track of time”. In those situations time has contracted. Now if I am attending calculus lecture, trying my best to do meditation - or just sit and watch the clock for 1 minute- how do I experience time? For me it has expanded. I even remember watching clock and saying OMG 1 minute is so long. You can try it too. Again our experiences makes us feel time more in a wave form where it contracts and expand though without any cyclic or linear nature.

2. Time can go in “reverse” with experiences-
Sometimes we daydream about our childhood, about old friends etc . In this case time that we are spending goes back-back in time. Our sensory input has put time in reverse mode.

3. We can experience time in non-conforming  fashion .
Most of us experience time where we are kids and we are playing, studying etc. As we grow older we start job and family and later in life we enjoy retirement. However , some may experience life in a very different order. Someone from let’s say very poor family had to work as a kid but eventually maybe at  age 60 they went to college and got their degree . The way someone can experience time can be dramatically different.

4. This experiential time can be Transforming.
Imagine a girl very shy and quiet especially with introvert qualities who later became public speaker. Or someone started with a silver spoon as a child with love and support from family who ended up in problematic behavior as an adult.

5. Experiential time can be the best teacher.
We learn from our experiences and grow.. well most humans do. Experiencial time gives a lot of sensory input to work on evolving us with its positive feedback mechanism. Everyone grows - in spite of education that we had. Most job recruiters value experience of work. With same analogy- our temperament become mature as we grow. That’s why in our culture older adults are given respect as teachers of life as they have earned it with their lifelong handling of difficult situations.

I personally feel - measuring this time in life - thinking about how we have experienced life - is way more meaningful and informative than any clock with 12 numbers and two hands can be. This time differs from person to person and is very unique and therefore maybe cannot be explained in any physics textbook. Well if someone can calculate some kind of equation for such time- you would be genius and would do great service to humanity. Any physicist here? Or maybe it is not possible to explain such cognitive phenomena with any physics term.

However, ask importance to people who have difficulty experiencing this dimension of time. Someone with sensory processing disorders, Alzheimer’s or for that matter someone that binge watch TV  relentlessly while shuffling through different channels- all lack experiences that make life so lively and meaningful - of course in my opinion.

Experiencing life as it unfolds can have immense impact on our souls. Instead of doing things as per what others expect and wants from us won’t it be rewarding if we live life and design it depending on how we want to experience it.
One may say - in that case everyone just wants to be on “vacation” all the time. I don’t think that’s true. Will you go on vacation all the time? We all have inner intuition to know what we like and where we find our own joy. We just vibrate with better inner rhythm when we find it.

Now, a step future , think about our subconscious mind. In this phase - that we experience in our REM sleep- we may be traveling lifetimes with an immense speed. No clock can measure that.

Praj101