Interesting take. I have long viewed the math the other way around. For a ten-year-old, a year approaches 20% of his or her remembered life. By age 60, a year drops below 2% of remembered life. Each progressive year is a smaller fraction of one's total perceived experience.
Paul, I agree with this perspective as the individual is comparing the amount of time passing to time they have actually experienced as opposed to time they might be expected to experience in the future.
Putting the math aside, I have read that there is an actual reason for the perception that time is moving faster as we age. When we are young, every experience is new and every day uncharted. We are constantly rewiring our brain as we develop and learn. As we get older, things become and more routine. Our minds aren't expanding with new novel experiences but idling through the daily grind of things we've done a million times. The best way to slow time down is to take time to enjoy things, to be open to new experiences, to keep learning and growing. The younger the mind, the slower time passes.
When we are young our daily life is crammed with activities that take minutes or at the most hours. Things that are on our calendars months away do not take up space in our brain. As we get older life events; buying a house or vehicle, employment options, planning meetings, projects, vacations expand to weeks, months and years. Our lives are way ahead of us. Time is an embezzler stealing our existence. You are correct. As trite as it sounds, we need to stop and smell the roses.
Our society doesn’t help. When I was a kid, when we elected a President it would be three years before the next Presidential campaign started. Now it starts the day after inauguration. So over the course of my lifetime three years turned into two months.
Gregg, thank you for this one. As a parent that has a child starting kindergarten today this one was especially pertinent. How is he in kindergarten already?! Every night he still wants to cuddle before bed. I’ll keep taking those cuddles because soon he won’t want them anymore!
When my kids were babies, I couldn't wait for them to grow up. I was excited to see who they would become. I was also tired of changing diapers and washing bottles. Now, I wish time would stop.
And you're right. Everyone looks better in sweaters!
I hit upon this bit of self-realization a few years back, and it is nice to see it corroborated by an esteemed member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
Humm, time goes more quickly when one is busy. For many of us (prolific writers like you and other busy bees notwithstanding) retirement brings on less to do and in that sense the days are longer than when we worked. So on a micro level not sure it’s necessarily true for all.
One more thought. Rather than looking ahead I wonder if our sense of the rate of time is based on our accumulated past. For me (I’ll be 72 shortly) certain events that happened 50 years ago seem to have happened just yesterday while others, from my working life for instance, seem like a 33rpm record being played at 78. Since I have no sense of an impending end (knock on wood) I’m less drawn to percentage of remaining life as my conduit of time then to the accumulated past.
Veering off into another observation: When I was young, once past about grade one, I was ushered out the door to march to the bus stop to catch the yellow school bus. We would usually have a quick game of tag before we got on and off we went. Now, it seems, parents have to protect their children, nearly all getting rides to school, rides to sports, rides to activities. Fear of the snatch, fear of the lost, fear of the world that is wicked and cruel. The rush hour has become three fold once school has started - the surge for the early birds to avoid traffic, then the simultaneous surge of the rush hour majority combined with the teachers and the parents and their passengers, then the slightly later surge of the retail and service workers for the final push that begins to subside around 10am. And let's not overlook that seemingly every high school student at required legal age has a car to drive, competing with teachers for a parking space. Mayhem ensues! I live in an urban centre, but I wonder if in the smaller communities there is still that sense of wonder in the mornings, and the urgencies are far less prevalent. Will we remember these times as the wonder years or remember them as the times we try to forget. Will that change our perception of time?
Interesting take. I have long viewed the math the other way around. For a ten-year-old, a year approaches 20% of his or her remembered life. By age 60, a year drops below 2% of remembered life. Each progressive year is a smaller fraction of one's total perceived experience.
Paul, I agree with this perspective as the individual is comparing the amount of time passing to time they have actually experienced as opposed to time they might be expected to experience in the future.
Spot on--100% concur, Paul !
I kinda wish time would stop too. Don’t think you and I will get our wish
Putting the math aside, I have read that there is an actual reason for the perception that time is moving faster as we age. When we are young, every experience is new and every day uncharted. We are constantly rewiring our brain as we develop and learn. As we get older, things become and more routine. Our minds aren't expanding with new novel experiences but idling through the daily grind of things we've done a million times. The best way to slow time down is to take time to enjoy things, to be open to new experiences, to keep learning and growing. The younger the mind, the slower time passes.
When we are young our daily life is crammed with activities that take minutes or at the most hours. Things that are on our calendars months away do not take up space in our brain. As we get older life events; buying a house or vehicle, employment options, planning meetings, projects, vacations expand to weeks, months and years. Our lives are way ahead of us. Time is an embezzler stealing our existence. You are correct. As trite as it sounds, we need to stop and smell the roses.
Our society doesn’t help. When I was a kid, when we elected a President it would be three years before the next Presidential campaign started. Now it starts the day after inauguration. So over the course of my lifetime three years turned into two months.
Gregg, thank you for this one. As a parent that has a child starting kindergarten today this one was especially pertinent. How is he in kindergarten already?! Every night he still wants to cuddle before bed. I’ll keep taking those cuddles because soon he won’t want them anymore!
Hey! My favorite writer (you) wrote about something I also wrote about. https://www.troyvalve.com/todd-talks/time-wont-give-me-time
When my kids were babies, I couldn't wait for them to grow up. I was excited to see who they would become. I was also tired of changing diapers and washing bottles. Now, I wish time would stop.
And you're right. Everyone looks better in sweaters!
Nobody tell him that lots of people where nominated a year before Obama
Worth the span of my ever-shortening life to read, thank you! You beautifully answered a question I had always wondered about.
Thanks!
I can always set my calendar by the starting of TMQ. No creep here! And not a culprit in the increasing passage of time. So thanks for that.
What a meandering jumble of words and topic threads; love it. On to sweaters and football!
I hit upon this bit of self-realization a few years back, and it is nice to see it corroborated by an esteemed member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
Humm, time goes more quickly when one is busy. For many of us (prolific writers like you and other busy bees notwithstanding) retirement brings on less to do and in that sense the days are longer than when we worked. So on a micro level not sure it’s necessarily true for all.
One more thought. Rather than looking ahead I wonder if our sense of the rate of time is based on our accumulated past. For me (I’ll be 72 shortly) certain events that happened 50 years ago seem to have happened just yesterday while others, from my working life for instance, seem like a 33rpm record being played at 78. Since I have no sense of an impending end (knock on wood) I’m less drawn to percentage of remaining life as my conduit of time then to the accumulated past.
Greg, this column hit very close to home for me, as I turn 70 next week. You are right - time is moving noticeably faster to me.
Veering off into another observation: When I was young, once past about grade one, I was ushered out the door to march to the bus stop to catch the yellow school bus. We would usually have a quick game of tag before we got on and off we went. Now, it seems, parents have to protect their children, nearly all getting rides to school, rides to sports, rides to activities. Fear of the snatch, fear of the lost, fear of the world that is wicked and cruel. The rush hour has become three fold once school has started - the surge for the early birds to avoid traffic, then the simultaneous surge of the rush hour majority combined with the teachers and the parents and their passengers, then the slightly later surge of the retail and service workers for the final push that begins to subside around 10am. And let's not overlook that seemingly every high school student at required legal age has a car to drive, competing with teachers for a parking space. Mayhem ensues! I live in an urban centre, but I wonder if in the smaller communities there is still that sense of wonder in the mornings, and the urgencies are far less prevalent. Will we remember these times as the wonder years or remember them as the times we try to forget. Will that change our perception of time?
Speaking of cartoons depicting man's/women's best friend, my favorite: https://images.app.goo.gl/nmyTcSN94pFM2hGN7
it's great!
Worthwhile indeed sir!
Thank you!