The Cult of the Eternal Present

“Nothing exists except an endless Present in which the Party is always right.” George Orwell, 1984

Everyone is obsessed with time: an employees waking up to alarm clocks, quantum physicists, philosophers, and mystics. Time management experts teach us to get more done in less time. Meditation and psychoactive drugs take us into a (hopefully) blissful timeless dimension.

Philosophers often point out that time is an artificial construct. For example, clocks and calendars we take for granted today didn’t exist until relatively recently. It was the Industrial Revolution that really ushered in the modern idea of universal time that is distinct (or parallel to) the cycles of nature.

In today’s globally connected world, we need to be aware of different time zones. Meetings, in person, online, or by phone, must be set at a specific time, as in “Let’s schedule a Zoom meeting for noon my time/your time.”

For many people, time is a necessary evil. We often long for states that transcend time, whether achieved through alcohol, pot, sex, or compelling entertainment. It’s easy to assume that “they” control us via time. If you have a 9 to 5 job, pay your income taxes by April 15 in the U.S., or need to pay your rent by the first of the month, time indeed seems like a ruthless taskmaster.