Our perception of time faulty or not?

kpastelle · **Posted:** Mon Aug 16, 2010 1:59 pm

I would like to discuss this issue again because I feel it more and more and I've just realised something that could be important in determining if this is just our imagination or if this is somewhat real and experienced by most of us.

Time is speeding up. Or the feeling that time is speeding up.

Everytime I mention this to someone I get this kind of logical explanation: "As we get older we feel like time moves faster".

It is a very logical stand point which is very plausible and I thought probably also very accurate.

But

I remember as a child I felt like time was so very longggggggggggggg...the 2 months of summer vacation felt so longgggggggggggggg.
Which I think is normal for a child, if you tell them we are going camping in 5 days, to a child, 5 days is so long to wait!

When I question my children on the subject of time they don't see it as I used to as a child. They see it moving very fast as well!!!

Just to give you an example last week both of my children (16 and 10) said in different instances that they found that the summer went by so fast they did not see it. Which are my feelings exactly.
But coming from the mouth of a child, ( I have heard younger children say the same as well) it changes the perception I have of the explanation behind the feeling that time is speeding up!

Perhaps time is really speeding up and its not just in our heads?

What do you think? have you noticed children feeling this as well and if you have what does it say to you?

space · **Posted:** Mon Aug 16, 2010 2:11 pm

I believe time is fluid, flowing in waves.

Regardless of what one thinks of Einstein, he was on to something.

Velocity alone can alter time, as well as many other influences.

We are standing on a planet moving 66 thousand miles per hour around our sun, and our system is hurtling through space at 230 thousand mph around our galaxy, and our galaxy has a straight line speed of 360 thousand mph.

Individually, they don't seem to be enough to alter time perceptively, but combine them and you get a different conclusion.

Likewise, deduct the velocities when we are in the opposite direction (in our orbit) as the suns vector.

Our planet takes on the characteristics of the 'scrambler' at the fair, or the 'tilt-a-whirl'.

This doesn't answer any questions, except to say 'yes, time varies physically'.

chantra · **Joined:** Mon Aug 09, 2010 1:40 am **Posts:** 89

......

isnessisbusiness · **Posted:** Mon Aug 16, 2010 5:33 pm

Yeah I think time is interpreted differently by everyone. I mean, what is a minute to a giant sea turtle? How about to a mayfly? You know, varying lifespans make me skeptical that our perception of time is where it's at. If time feels like it's going faster, is there anyone who could argue with you that it isn't? All I know is that my bananas have been ripening at breakneck speeds recently.

sisu · **Joined:** Tue Aug 26, 2008 7:08 pm **Posts:** 3424

Two things imo:

1) When we're 5y/o a year is 1/5th of our life - a long time. At 40 a year is 1/40th, not long.

2) Constant instant communications. TV, internet, cell phones - a constant awareness of time passing quickly because there's so much information being constantly updated and which some people feel they need to constantly absorb. In the 'olden days' we caught up with friends once a week or so, a 'long time' by today's standards. A letter to a foreign country used to take a month to get a reply to and now with email it's nearly instant. We've created a society that is no longer able to sit still and/or occupy itself, always running around for the next distraction and then claiming 'there is not enough time in the day'. Get rid of all technology and go camping old-style in the wilderness for a week and then tell me whether you still think that 'time is moving fast'

kpastelle · **Posted:** Mon Aug 16, 2010 5:58 pm

sisu wrote:

Two things imo:

1) When we're 5y/o a year is 1/5th of our life - a long time. At 40 a year is 1/40th, not long.

2) Constant instant communications. TV, internet, cell phones - a constant awareness of time passing quickly because there's so much information being constantly updated and which some people feel they need to constantly absorb. In the 'olden days' we caught up with friends once a week or so, a 'long time' by today's standards. A letter to a foreign country used to take a month to get a reply to and now with email it's nearly instant. We've created a society that is no longer able to sit still and/or occupy itself, always running around for the next distraction and then claiming 'there is not enough time in the day'. Get rid of all technology and go camping old-style in the wilderness for a week and then tell me whether you still think that 'time is moving fast'

Interesting point of view

suz · **Posted:** Mon Aug 23, 2010 6:10 pm

Since time is an imaginary measurement……it’s our own perceptions of it. It’s due to positive living. Life seems shorter when life is good because there is too much do do.

The Mayan's explanation of time that was posted earlier is very good.

Our perception of time faulty or not?

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