Thinking about ‘Time’ and More

Time never had a beginning; time never has an end. Yet the human mind believes in measuring time. There was a point when measurement began, and various units were created to measure it. All this is a human creation. Different communities have developed different measurements of time. This has varied from region to region and has followed differing planks of logic. Mostly, they reflect regional beliefs or assumptions, which help the understanding of the world.

Very often, the measurement of time has been linked with the movement of the sun, the moon, or some other planet. All of this is a human creation. None of it has been ordained by the supreme existence. It is, therefore, fairly obvious, as indicated above, that human beings do this to bring measurement and understanding to their own behaviour and actions.

The immediate stimulus for this line of thought is the talk of the so-called ‘New Year’. 2025 has concluded, and 2026 has begun. This can, at best, be seen as a calendar effort. In reality, nothing ended and nothing began.

There is a popular belief that the so-called calendar, of which 2025/2026 would be a part, was created by Pope Gregory. He calculated time in a way that led to the fixing of a date for the birth of Jesus Christ. Therefore, the time before the birth of Christ was labelled ‘Before Christ’ (B.C.). Christ was supposed to have been born in 0 B.C., and from there, the A.D. (Anno Domini) era is said to have begun. Hence, we now live with 2025 ending and 2026 beginning.

Another calculation suggests that the concerned dating has an error of about three years, and that Jesus Christ was not born in 0 A.D., but rather in 3 A.D. This calculation has been, expectedly, questioned by some and defended by others. This cannot be the place to resolve this debate. However, the debate itself is not the point; the point is the calendar which so much of the world follows.

There are parts of the world that follow different calendars. In many parts of India, the Vikram Samvat calendar is followed, and there is a difference of over 50 years between the A.D. nomenclature and the Vikram Samvat reference. This is yet another debate which cannot be resolved in this text. Similarly, followers of Islam have their own calendar, which has to do with Prophet Muhammad.

Many calendars can be identified across the world. Typically, the official Indian calendar, as proclaimed by Jawaharlal Nehru, is considered by many to be the Shak Samvat.

Obviously, there is a debate, and there is no single framework which can resolve it. Legislation has not provided a way forward.

This line of thought can be observed in other patches of elaboration and needs to be noted to highlight, if not the contradictions, then at least the limitations of such measurement.

For example, the sun is supposed to rise in the morning and set in the evening. The truth of the matter is that the sun never rises and the sun never sets. It is the Earth that rotates around its axis, and the position of the Earth with reference to the sun creates illusions of sunrise and sunset.

This is yet another example of how the limitation of the human mind has projected itself into a so-called universal law which everyone instinctively, or otherwise, follows.

The above examples raise a very basic question: is there a possible improvement that can be made in measuring time, classifying calendars, understanding seasons, and so on.

The question has been posed, and the resolution will clearly take time, debate, and more. However, this realisation is important because so much of the human narrative is around time.

Scientifically, the average lifespan of a Homo sapiens is less than 100 years. Accordingly, a ‘century’ has become a benchmark for the standard of life. Little is realised, however, that there are many cells with a lifespan far beyond a century. These cells also have some critical faculties and are capable of procreating. If they have a language among themselves, it has yet to be deciphered by humans. But that is not the point; the point is that humans dominate the planet, and their way of thinking determines measurement. There have been illustrations of a certain kind of life of cells in the icy desert of Siberia which have literally existed for thousands of years.

Be that as it may, the end of a year and the beginning of another is a fitting time to reflect on some of the givens which humans use to measure and record. All this affects their conduct and behaviour.

There is always scope for refinement. The purpose here is not to find fault or highlight flaws. The purpose here is to cause reflection and thought on some basic issues which affect our way of thinking, and indeed the so-called measurement of time itself.Maybe, as the human species evolves, some of these concerns will be refined and managed at a higher level of thought.How this debate will unfold, if at all, only time can tell.

The writer is an internationally acclaimed management consultant; views are personal