Timeless

                                                                             Timeless

                                                                    by Marco M. Pardi

What time would it be if all the clocks were stopped?” Zen saying. In John Kane, ed., Moving Forward, Keeping Still: The Gateway to Eastern Wisdom. 1997

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All comments welcome.  To those readers who have been hesitant to comment or ask questions, please be assured you may do so freely. In recent days several new people have signed on as followers, enabling them to comment freely, and it is hoped they will. All previous posts are open for comment by clicking on “uncategorized”. Reader participation keeps this site vibrant. MMP

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Many readers have by now seen my interest in probing common currents of thought. As I have written previously, I view such currents as frequently superficial and use the example of the Keystone Kops.  The Kops chase a bank robber crew into a building. They search the building from first to top floor and back and, finding it empty, leave. The crew then emerges from the building to go on to the next robbery. How and why did this happen? Because, from the outside the building did not appear to have a basement no one thought to look for a door and stairway leading to a basement. Too much of what we conclude is based on externals. My intent here is not to take issue with what people think, but rather with how they think.

One common current of thought is that “afterlife” is a non-material state, usually described as eternal but, for some, a period between incarnations into the material world again.  I have written extensively on this subject, and on the internally contradictory concept of a god. I will not reiterate that here. However, I will address the common projection of material features onto a non-material existence.

Last night I sent an email to my very dear and close friend, Jamie Butler (Google the name and you will see she is a world famous author and medium). In this email I asked her, if the “afterlife” state is non-material and therefore one to which the concept of time is inappropriate, how one can speak of change and growth? (I told her to take her “time” responding) These are measures appropriate to a material state, one in which I can say I was that way before and this way now.  Indeed, we measure time by change, or at least the perception of change.  Without change, such as the position of the hands on the clock, the place of the sun in the sky, or my state of mind, etc. how would we “mark” time?  Some readers may have read my piece on Korsakoff’s syndrome, the eternal now commonly described in chronic alcoholic “wet brain”, other drug user “fried brain”, and more recently in TBI – Traumatic Brain Injury. These people are in the eternal now because impairment prevents them from recalling even an instant ago. Likewise, they cannot project a moment into the future. Since every instant is a new moment, they apparently have no sense of suffering any loss. They are in eternity. Yet, they are living, breathing material beings. Many people, when probed, explain their fear of being dead as fear of loss of self. But who else is the self but who we have been, are now, and expect to be in the next moment?

On a related note, while studying advanced Criminology, with the emphasis on the mental state of prisoners, I was at first surprised to learn that at least some prisoners feared Life Without Parole more than the Death Penalty. They preferred oblivion, if it came to that, over the sameness of an “endless” life in a cell.   

So, imagine yourself in a bare windowless and soundproofed room with no clock. Imagine this as being yourself in the “afterlife”. You cannot count your breaths for you have no lungs. You cannot count your pulse for you have no heart. You cannot count your paces in the room for you have no legs. Yet people talk about “afterlife” experiences such as personal growth. Some, speaking through mediums, even talk about attending classes, perusing the great cosmic library, interacting with great philosophers, and on and on.  How marvelous. But each of these is an event with a beginning and an end; we can “time” it.  How do we time an immaterial world when there are no “things” that change?

Complicating this further, modern physics tells us “time” and “space” are two different ways of saying the same thing.  So, if I have a sense of a discreet non-material “me” – as opposed to a discreet non-material deceased family member or – more happily – non-human animal companion, doesn’t that imply each of us has space, each of us has defined boundaries beyond which we are not and something else is?  If so, do we not occupy a space, implying it takes time to get from one space to another?  If so, how does time apply in a “timeless” state?      

These are not just idle word games. (I say that presuming some readers will say, “This guy has too much time on his hands”). Of those who think there is an afterlife in some non-material state, how many actually probe their own thoughts to discover the contradictions, the projections, the wishes that may motivate their conclusions?

Now, speaking of projections, am I guilt free in this?  Perhaps I’ve bought into the religiously based stuff about eternity, forever, and all that. Gosh, could it be Western religions are wrong about something?  Perhaps, in attempting to reconcile what logic and science tell me with what Western religion claims I’m projecting science concepts appropriate to this universe onto a differently structured universe – or no universe at all. Perhaps there is a co-existent universe, or dimension, in which our “Laws” of science do not apply.  

Ah, well. I’m once again in 5th grade Religion class as Sister Cornelius glowers in response to my questions.  Her answer: “It will all be revealed after you die, Mister.” Sorry Sister, not good enough. And then in 6th grade Religion class Father Sean pulling me aside after class with a stern warning to not ask further questions as “other students might lose their faith.” What, you think I believe this?

It’s time for my daily walk around the neighborhood with my Philosopher-Dog, Plato.  For over a mile (time varies with how much pee-mail he has to read) I discuss these questions with him. But, he’s not giving answers either.  Hopefully, readers will chime in. After all, we don’t have much “time”.