Is Time Ultimately an Illusion?
In this text, I will demonstrate that it is, and that we should constantly be happy as our joyful moments are not lost in time; we just aren't in the right observation point to see them.
Time is a dimension of the universe. We perceive it as "moving" forward, from the past, through the present, and then into the future. The past is something we are sure has happened, the present is the result that comes out in a snapshot, and the future (you'll see how) we must be absolutely sure has also happened.
Since the present has a duration as short as a photograph, i.e., none at all, it is very difficult to perceive it. Time gives meaning because through it, there is motion, and we perceive motion, i.e., the result of the passage of time is many frames of photographs, one after the other, giving us the sensation of the movement of a body, while in each separate frame there is stillness.
I won't bore you further with the description of time; I can talk for hours about it.
However, I will explain why all moments in time (past or future) are simultaneous. In reality, we are simultaneously unborn, babies, children, adults, elders, dead for billions of years now... Let's see this a bit.
Let's say we have a slice of toast bread in front of us. If I am still and I cut it, I will cut it into parallel slices, perpendicular to it (Figure 1). But if I move parallel to it, and it remains still, I will cut it at an angle (Figure 2).
Figure 1
Figure 2
Let's see this on an analogy in the universe, on a huge scale.
Suppose you, reading this text, are on Earth and you are still. In another point of our galaxy is an alien, let's call him Thrasos. Thrasos is also in the same year as us, in our "now." You and Thrasos see the same time on your watches.
However, Thrasos is an alien and has the technology to move at high speed. He gets into his spaceship and moves at 30,000 m/s (light moves at 300,000,000 m/s).
Here's where things get weird!
Have you heard of the Doppler effect (which, to the disappointment of many, has not been abolished and still applies 😝)? For those who don't know, it's the phenomenon that when a vehicle's siren approaches us or moves away from us, we hear its sound differently. Imagine something similar happening due to Thrasos' movement, but this time, it's not about the sound of the siren, but about his perception of time.
If Thrasos moves relative to you at a constant speed, he stops "cutting" the spacetime of the universe into parallel slices, like the toast we talked about earlier. Instead, he "cuts" it at an angle. But this changes the "now" between you two.
It is proven by the equations of relativity that:
As Thrasos moves away from you, his "now" corresponds to your past, and the greater the distance between you, the further back he sees into your past. He sees you as a baby, unborn, Pythagoras teaching, dinosaurs... Okay, so far, you might say, "Yes, but because it takes time for light to travel from Earth to him, as he moves away, he sees my past." Yes... But no! This doesn't happen! If he could take a picture, a slice of the universal bread, the slice of spacetime this time, it would correspond simultaneously to Thrasos' present (which before he started moving was your common now) and to your past.
As Thrasos approaches you, his "now" corresponds to your future, and the greater the distance between you, the further ahead he sees into your future. He sees you as an elder, deceased, the planet dead, the Sun a red giant (if it eventually happens, I don't know, ask Thrasos). So, how does this happen? With exactly the same logic! If he could take a picture, a slice of the universal bread, the slice of spacetime this time, it would correspond simultaneously to Thrasos' present and to your future! In a future, though, that hasn't come yet for you...
The 'now' is relative and depends on speed and orientation.
It would be very selfish to say that our 'now' is correct and Thrasos' is wrong... So, there must be the same certainty for the events of the future as there is for the events of our past, which we know exist because we have experienced them, and thus we are sure about them. However, Thrasos, who is moving towards us from very far away, is equally certain about his own 'now,' which is, however, our future.
As of all these, all times are simultaneous and timeless. It's a matter of observer, speed, and position for what each perceives.
And this is comforting because everyone has been in the past in happy moments and situations. So, if they experience difficulties in their present, they know that somewhere out there, they are reliving their beautiful moments indeed, seeing their loved ones or pets that have been lost, and they are not just memories but a reality that unfortunately they can no longer observe. Just because we don't see something, doesn't mean it doesn't exist, anyway...
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