Sometimes it seems as if life is passing us by. When we are children, time ambles by, with endless car journeys and summer holidays which seem to last forever. But as adults, time seems to speed up at a frightening rate, with Christmas and birthdays arriving more quickly every year.
For children, the world is a fascinating place, full of new experiences and fresh sensations. As we get older, we have fewer new experiences and the world around us becomes more and more familiar. We become desensitized to our experience, which means that we process less information, and time seems to speed up.
So, if we are in unfamiliar surroundings our experience of time should expand because this is where our minds process more information than normal. When you go away to a new city or a foreign country you are much more aware of your surroundings. Everything is unfamiliar and new, so you pay much more attention and take in much more information. We can slow down time by exposing ourselves to as many new experiences as possible.
We can also slow down time by making a conscious effort to be more mindful of our experiences. When we’re mindful we give our attention to an experience – to what we see, feel, taste, smell or hear – rather than to our thoughts. We live through our senses and our experience rather than through our minds. It's a different approach to avoiding familiarity – and happens not by seeking new experiences, but by changing our attitude to our experiences.
Yes, we sometimes take our surroundings for granted and don't appreciate what we are experiencing.
ReplyDeleteIt's good to break out of that mode of thinking.
DeleteHow we respond to life around us, is more important than what happens around us.
ReplyDeleteExactly.
DeleteI remember as a little kid my dad telling me that one day time would seem to pass much faster. As a little kid waiting for some expected adventure, it was hard to believe. But he was right!
ReplyDeleteMy parents told me the same thing and as a little kid there wasn't enough life experience to understand what they were talking about.
DeleteAn interesting perspective. I hadn't thought of it quite that way. I would have said that I am very aware of my surroundings, but perhaps I need to do better.
ReplyDeleteThat's very thougtful. And thought provoking.
ReplyDelete