The rain is falling lightly and this morning's mission is a mere meander. I don't go very far or fast but there is no where else that I need to be, so I have time to look around. I like what I see.
Willie Nelson is one of my favorite philosophers and I think he makes a lot of sense when he writes:
"If your life in this modern world seems to pass you by at the speed of light, perhaps you should consult Einstein, that the faster we travel, the more time is compressed. That's right, the faster we go, the less time we have. So what's your hurry?"
Kent "Mountain Turtle" Peterson
Issaquah WA USA
unfortunately, i think that willie nelson has it backward. if you were to hop into a rocket and zoom all around, when you finally land, you will have experienced less passage of time, and will have aged less than everyone else.
ReplyDeletealso, as nice as the sentiment is, this sort of time dilation is insignificant until you start reaching relativistic speeds.
Such an excellent post. That is something that I get caught up in quite frequently.
ReplyDeleteNah, I believe Willie hit it right on the head. The faster you go, time passage may run slow for you, but the outside world is a blur, and you will not be able to see the flowers grow or the people you care about live their life.
ReplyDeleteAnd in regards to the dilation being insignificant, I would argue that the theory is incorrect anyway. Measuring time is a man made idea using man made tools, all of which are affected by gravity at this time. The Universe has no need for a second, or a minute, and our being a slave to a man made idea is what Willie is revolting against.
We've been so busy/keepin up with the Jones
ReplyDeleteFour car garage/and we're still adding on
Maybe it's time we got back/to the basics of love
Love the quote even if the physics are wrong!
ReplyDeleteI think it was another post of yours that partially inspired this one: http://bikestylespokane.com/2011/09/24/its-all-in-the-attitude