Time and Christmastime

By Janpha Thadphoothon

Time can be easily understood through language. Sentences can convey differences in time. "What's going to happen?" is about the future. "What is happening?" is about the present moment. Some may say that the present is more important than the past or the future.

The present is not intrinsically more important than the past or the future. In the quantum physical world, there is no inherent distinction between time at different intervals. The past, the future, they are all the same.

Honestly, I admit I know very little about the physics of small things. They say in the world of tiny things, everything gets quite strange. Things are not what we experience in our daily lives. Einstein told us that time, in theory, is relative.

Time may only be meaningful to us when we experience it, which requires actively engaging with it. Counting the years, marking the seconds—these are ways we perceive time.

Furthermore, time seems to be one-directional. This is like the expansion of the Universe. This is why we experience it as flowing from the past to the future. Isn't that fascinating?

In our imagination, time is flexible. It can move back and forth endlessly. Time seems endless. This, I do not know.

I, like many others, would like to be able to return to the past, to do something differently. But as of today, this is not possible, or rather permissible by the laws of physics. This fact may be why, in literature, we humans cherish the idea of humans returning to mess with the past (like in "Back to the Future"). In any case, I ask myself, if I could go back to the past, what would I do?

The chain of events is another aspect of time that appears mysterious to most. Some call it fate or predetermination. If I could change one event, would that trigger a cascade of changes, potentially altering several aspects of my life? No one knows for sure.

Upon reflection, I believe time is fundamentally about relationships. This refers to how sentient beings like us interact with each other and the rest of the universe.

This isn't the first time I've contemplated time deeply on Christmas Day. I'm sure many of us do the same. My memories seem to grow stronger, pulling me back in time, sometimes even to the distant past. However, when we delve deeply into something, our thoughts can become slippery, like monkeys do. It's challenging to control the mind and keep it focused. It naturally wanders, leaping here and there, jumping back and forth. Occasionally, long-forgotten events resurface and come into focus. These memories are faint, sometimes lingering for a moment before slipping away again.

Regardless of what time may be, Christmas time is the time to express our love and appreciation for life and what it means to be human and alive. Hardships, difficulties, wars, and conflicts, throughout the history of mankind, come and go. I personally feel that they are part of our existence. I have been living with them. Our imperfection. This should make us humble and modest, realizing that we are not perfect. We make errors, and our genes too are not perfect.

Time too is not perfect. Time, too, is in the making. It is not everything after all. Maybe I am wrong. And this, again, time will tell.