Monday, May 10, 2010

Relativity, in theory

Sitting at a traffic light with my son, I look at him, staring out the window while singing to the tune on the radio. I smile and daydream.

He turns his head fast, catching me staring and announces "What?"

I answer: "I cannot believe you are almost done with the fourth grade already, it was just a short time ago it was your first day."

Son: "Actually it was a long time ago."

Dad:" But it seemed to go really fast"

Son: "Not to me"

How can time seem so slow to a child and so fast as an adult? I think kids live in a now state and adults live in the past state. Its hard for a child to measure time, to a child everything is Now, which explains why the statement, "We will be there in two hours." is quickly followed by "Are we there yet?"

Adults, on the other hand, have lost the ability to live in the now, and mostly long for the Past, which explains why we say stupid things like "When I was a child, we did not have video games, we played with each other."

Sometimes the two time paths intersect, cross and reverse the child's Now and the adult's Then, which explains the statement, "Go to bed- Now!" and the always immediate rebuttal, "In a minute!"

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