Time - the greatest deception

Today I want to invite you to reflect on one of the most fascinating topics: time. Or rather - its nature. What is time really? Why do spiritual teachings say that time does not exist, that it is only an illusion of our mind? And what meaning does it have for us at all? Is it worth bothering with this “miserable time,” which, after all, flows anyway, regardless of what we think about it?

How do we perceive time on a daily basis?

In everyday life, time seems to be something obvious, real and unquestionable. Science describes it as a measurable quantity - something that can be measured, counted, divided into seconds, minutes, hours, days or years. We learn about it in school as one of the basic physical categories, and our lives follow its rhythm. Astronomy shows us even more - the light year, although formally a unit of distance, is closely related to time, because it describes the distance light travels in one year. We also have the rhythm of day and night, the cycle of the seasons, the movement of the Earth around the sun - all this seems to prove the existence of time and its influence on our lives. Our mind interprets these changes in a simple way: past → present → future.

This seems logical and irrefutable. But... is it really so? I would like to invite you now to a small experiment. Perhaps it will allow you to see that what we call time is largely a creation of our mind. And if so - perhaps it will allow you to move beyond the limiting paradigm of “continuous passage” and feel more freedom, peace and happiness in the here and now.

Thought experiment: does time really exist?

Wherever you are right now - stop for a moment. Take a few deep breaths. The best way is to breathe slowly and deeply, starting from your lower abdomen, through your chest and down your throat. Feel the air fill your insides. And then gently let it out, noting how your body slowly relaxes and returns to a state of calm. Repeat this breathing several times and notice how with each exhalation your body enters a deeper and deeper state of relaxation. And now it's time to experiment.

Everything I am talking about here is based on direct experience. You don't have to believe me - you can check it yourself. Ask yourself: what is the past? And where is it now? You may think: “I had a salad for lunch yesterday.” Okay, indeed - you ate it yesterday. But where is it now? Can you physically find her? Experience it again? No. This situation exists only in your memory, in your thoughts. And what's interesting is that these thoughts are not in the past, but in the here and now, in this moment. You can't think about yesterday's lunch yesterday. You can only think about it now. So the past is only a shadow in your mind, a memory appearing in the present.

The same goes for the future. Imagine that you have a plane tomorrow and you are worried that you might be late for it. You think, “I'm afraid I won't make it tomorrow.” But does that “tomorrow” already exist? No. The plane, tomorrow, being late - these are all images in your head, projections that are occurring right now. The future has not yet arrived. Physically it is not there. You don't know what will happen in 10 minutes, an hour, a month or a year. You can imagine it, plan it, worry about it or enjoy it - but it all happens here and now, in your mind. The future and the past exist only as thoughts. And thoughts - they always appear in the present. This discovery may seem trivial, but when you really feel it, it can change your life. Because the only reality that really exists is this moment. Only now can you breathe, live, feel, experience.

What  NOW?

If the past and future exist only in your mind, what is really real? Close your eyes for a moment. Focus on your breath again. Ask yourself: when does this breath happen? Isn't it the only real thing happening right now? Then why do we so rarely pay attention to what actually exists, what is tangible and available in this moment? Why do we keep wandering our thoughts in the past and future, when they don't exist? 

The answer is simple - our minds have been programmed this way. Life experiences, traumas, difficult situations, the daily rush, social expectations - all this makes it increasingly difficult for us to return to the NOW. We don't trust the present. We think that somewhere out there, in the future, a better “now” awaits. We forget that the real treasure of life is here, in this moment.

To feel this “now” even more strongly, it is worth noting something important: This moment is not a break between the past and the future. Since both of these things - as we have already discovered - do not exist, all that remains is the perpetual NOW. But the mind keeps trying to hide it - creating stories about what was and what will be, instead of noticing what is. This moment is not a point on the timeline. It is an eternal moment that has neither beginning nor end. If the past and the future are just a construct of thought, then right now is the only real reality - like a breeze that you can't stop, but you can feel it.

Sound too good to be true?

And yet it is this moment - the ordinary NOW - that we all seek, although we mostly don't notice it. It is the now that is the gateway to a deeper self and a more fulfilled life. For it is from here that we can act. It is from here that we can calm the mind shattering the past (depression) and worrying about the future (anxiety).

The path to this NOW is not always easy.

It leads us through a thicket of thoughts, fears, shame and painful memories.

But about that - another time.