Viewpoints
“Happy New Year”
By +Oscar V. Cruz, JCD
“HOPE springs eternal,” so the saying goes. May the coming year be still hopeful for a better socio-economic development, for a better peace and order situation in the country. So should it be: May the coming year be free from despair particularly in terms of the needed competence and integrity in governance from the local to the national level. Hence: “Happy New Year!”
With the usually perceived and readily accepted passage of time from “old” to the “new” year, it might be good to take this occasion to have a more serious look and review of the objective reality of time vis-à-vis its standard understanding and pursuant customary expressions plus practices. Question: What is time really? There are at least three answers to the question that are “hard hitting” so to speak whereas they are divested of the usual assumptions about what is time, in truth and in fact.
Time is now. The base reality of the matter is that time is now – neither really “before” nor “after”. The objective reality is that time is nothing else than the instant, immediate and unstoppable transit from the “prior” to “post”. The saying “Carpe diem!” or “Catch the day!” is precisely based on the truth that once time is gone, gone is remains. Hence, the saying “Save time!” is an advisory not really to hold on to time but also to use time well because time cannot be really “saved” in whatever way.
Time is linear. This means that time goes on and on, moves on and on without in any way returning in any form, in any way for anybody. Time is now and gone, it is the very moment it is thought of or mentioned. When it is gone, time never returns, never comes back. As it stops for no one, neither does it return for anyone. Time wherefore is not circular in passage as if it goes round and around. Time simply “marches” on and on and on. And once it is gone, gone it remains.
Time is a continuum. This is but a immediate conclusion from the above mentioned reality that time is “now” and “linear” – neither circular nor repeatable. On and one it goes, yes. To say that “it is time again” to do or to abstain from doing something – this is an expression that is not in the sphere of realities. Though sad, it is true among other things.
The repetitions made by clocks, signified by days of the week and mentioned by calendars are but man-made inventions. The holding of time via stopwatches is purely artificial. The observance of anniversaries – be these secular in nature or religious in significance – is but the fruit of human initiative. The word “again” is irrelevant to time. But provided the truth is accepted or reality is acknowledge, “HAPPY NEW YEAR!”
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