The Question of Time…and Then Some

An early Walton clan with Jim-Bob in the front on the left.

In one of the earlier episodes of The Waltons, Jim-Bob asked the question, What is time? Of course, in the traditional Walton manner, it was asked when the family had retired for the evening and all but one light was out…in this case, Jim-Bob’s. And, of course, there were several replies, none of which really answered his question.

I got thinking about it. What exactly does the word mean? You have to admit we use it loosely with little thought to the actual meaning. For example, we say: for the time being, at the same time, we have no time, running out of time, or the proverbial question we seem to hear a lot these days, Where has the time gone? And, as in the case of Jim-Bob’s philosophical question at the end of the day, none of the expressions really define the word; they just use it.

With my curiosity peaked, I went to the dictionary—have you ever taken the time to look up this word? (Sorry, I couldn’t resist that!) There are fifty-one definitions, one being “the continuous passage of existence in which events pass from a state of potentiality in the future, through the present, to a state of finality in the past” (now, that’s a brain-stopper!). A far simpler one states that it’s “the duration of human existence.” And there are multiple words that make use of the word time, such as: time keeper, time bomb, timepiece, etc.

With no rational explanation, this question led me to a few others I have heard either recently or over the years. Sometimes they’ve been put to me out of curiosity, sometimes from a deeper longing or need; sometimes they are the result of something I’ve read. I’ll put them out to you and let you ponder your answer, and please feel free to share your thoughts.

•  Do you believe in miracles? If so, why? And if not, why not?

This is another word we use loosely. It’s so easy to say, That was a miracle! or, It’s a miracle he didn’t….When we consider the miracles mentioned in the Bible, we can’t help wondering, Can we still witness them today?

Two questions that often spark volatile debate…

• Do you believe in God?
• Do you believe that there’s a heaven and a hell?

In the Entertainment section of The Toronto Star, Saturday January 24, Canadian singer Célion Dion stated that, “If you find energy in a rock that your children gave you, that can become the most precious thing in your life. I have boxes of dead leaves, branches, flowers that they brought to me. That’s my God. That’s my religion.” Do you agree with her? Is that how you see God? Or is He something more?

As to heaven and hell: A friend told me years ago that she didn’t believe in either. When I suggested I’d be praying for her, she was adamant in telling me not to. My response was: If you don’t believe in God, what are you afraid of?

A now world-famous incident last Thursday has resulted in this question:

• Should Justin Bieber be treated like any other person arrested for the reasons reported and face the full wrath of the law after his arrest for DUI and drag racing, as Miami Beach Mayor Philip Levine is suggesting?

This question certainly opens up a mountain of debate, depending if you are his fan or not. One reporter responded to his mother’s appeal to pray for her son by saying, “Sure, pray for Justin. He’s become everybody’s prey.” In any event, I can’t help wondering if this young man needs to experience full accountability for his actions. I say that not in a sanctimonious way, but with concern and compassion for one who needs to come to grips with himself, his life and his responsibilities. He is so very young, and to be showing signs of willful defiance with a nobody-can-touch-me attitude is disturbing, to say the least.

Finally, one last question…

•  Does it feel like the world is spinning faster?

Not to minimize the other questions in any way, but this last question seems to resonate a bit with me these days. It’s the end of January and I can’t believe that almost a month has gone by since my last post! Maybe the world is spinning faster! Frankly, I’m glad the month is over! This winter can’t go fast enough, considering the minus 29 degrees we’ve been experiencing far too often. But there I go again, wishing the time away. Regardless, I can’t help thinking that if it isn’t the frigid winter, perhaps Jim-Bob’s question is responsible for my philosophical—maybe even a tad melancholic—mood. Perhaps tomorrow it will be less so, if it’s not as cold!

Only time will tell.