By: Mike George
Source: The Daily Guardian https://epaper.thedailyguardian.com/view/2138/the-daily-guardian/15
Dated: March 8th, 2025

“Time has no independent existence apart from the order of events by which we measure it.” - Leibniz

The idea of time has occupied the minds of philosophers for centuries. We believe time is an entity in itself, because we look at our wristwatch or our clock and it apparently tells us ‘what time it is’. But wait, the train does not arrive at the station at 7pm – it arrives at the same moment the little hand reaches 7. So, time is simply an attempt to measure the space between two events, in this case leaving and arriving.  That is the only time we use our watches and clocks, to measure these spaces, but only in the physical world. It does not work when in the realm of consciousness. 

The reason for this is that no-one knows what you, or anyone else is thinking – thinking takes place in the consciousness. The space between one thought and another cannot be measured. Only one person is creating that event, that thought, and the next, and so there is no point in measuring them. So, there is no time in consciousness. There is time in the world, time is the measurement we agree upon, using our clocks and watches, but not in consciousness.

So, in the world, time management is really event management. Event management is response management, because we have to create a response to an event. Response management is self-management, because what we are doing is managing the self. That means that self-management is intention and attention management. 

Intention sits behind everything we think, decide and even our feelings. This requires some kind of attention in order to manage it. Time management is therefore, attention management. People who attend time management seminars are people who are pretty miserable. They want someone to tell them what to do next or first, what to prioritise. In fact, it is up to them to decide what to give their attention to next. They would do that quite happily IF they ‘enjoyed’ what they were doing. We naturally give attention to what brings us joy, what we enjoy. That is the principle of creativity. All that is required is clarity of mind. Clarity only comes when there is joy in what we do. If, however, we become time conscious, e.g. deadline conscious, and therefore believe we might run out of time then fear and panic are always just around the corner, in other words, stress. 

There are three Illusions about time.

1. Hurry, time is running out!
2. If you do it faster, we can save time!
3. If we do it later, there will be more time!

In reality, there is only now, the present. We spend ‘time’ thinking about the past or the future which are total illusions. The past is past – it is over, it happened. Yet, we spend time in remembering, in nostalgia. Some of us are deeply attached to the past. What we do not realise is that we are making the past the present. This is a waste of energy. When we think about the future it is simply speculation. It is also a waste of energy and an illusion because the future can never be real. I can only live in ‘the now’ when I am free from the regrets of the past and the worries of the future. This is a challenge for most, because our habits are conditioned by past and future. When things get too challenging, in the present, we try to escape into the past or the future. Time is our master through the day. When some do not have the consciousness of time – they seem more relaxed, together and joyful. They do not obsess about ‘time’ factors – their lives are not ruled by the devices that measure time. 

Having our spiritual lives run by physical time machines is a common illusion that can lead us to generate much stress.  Perhaps the best way to dissolve the illusion is the cultivation of an awareness of our inner reality.  And that is only possible by the raising of one’s consciousness through meditation and contemplation, as many have shown us.  Only then is it possible to put the watch, the clock and all those ‘digital’ measures in their place.   Only then can we know how to live a truly timeless life.  Perhaps this is why being fully present is also rare.

Mike George is an author of 16 books on self-awareness,
spiritual intelligence, and personal ‘undevelopment’. 
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