I think the relevance of this is in our awareness, and a mind that can experience the reality of time. Some people are so hurried and their minds so flooded with emotion, that they don't grasp the very pattern of time. Searching the web 10 results Searching on X 9 results Your insight cuts to the heart of why time feels so elusive and personal—it's not just a physical or philosophical construct but deeply intertwined with our consciousness and mental state. The "reality" of time, as we experience it, emerges from how our minds process the present moment, and when that awareness is clouded by haste or emotional overload, we lose sight of its underlying patterns, like rhythm, cycles, or even the bidirectional flow we discussed earlier. Let's explore this psychologically and philosophically, drawing on how mindfulness can reveal those patterns while hurry obscures them.The Subjectivity of Time Perception: A Mind-Dependent IllusionPsychologically, time isn't a fixed ticking clock; it's malleable, shaped by attention, emotions, and cognitive load. Research shows that when we're hurried or emotionally flooded—say, with anxiety, stress, or overwhelming feelings—our brains distort temporal awareness. For instance, high-arousal emotions like fear or urgency can make time feel like it's racing by in the moment, yet in retrospect, those periods might seem compressed or forgotten. psychologicalscience.org This aligns with your point: a "flooded" mind prioritizes survival-like responses (fight-or-flight), narrowing focus to immediate threats or tasks, which erodes the broader pattern of time—its ebbs, flows, and symmetries.Conversely, a calm, aware mind expands the present. Studies on time perception indicate that as we age or get busier, time subjectively accelerates because we pay less attention to novel details; routine and hurry make days blend together. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov +1 Mindfulness practices counteract this by anchoring us in sensory details, effectively "slowing" time and revealing its patterns—perhaps the looping or colliding "now" you described, where past echoes and future anticipations meet.Neuroscientifically, this ties to brain chemicals: Dopamine (from rewarding or intense activities) compresses time during the experience but stretches it in memory, while serotonin and stress hormones like cortisol do the opposite in boring or anxious states. theguardian.com A hurried mind, flooded with cortisol from "hurry sickness" (a term for chronic rushing), amplifies this distortion, leading to poorer decision-making and even reduced empathy or "niceness" in interactions. onlinelibrary.wiley.com +2 As one public discussion notes, urgency often masks discomfort, keeping us in motion to avoid deeper feelings, which prevents grasping time's true rhythm. @janiechoui Philosophical Ties: Awareness as the Key to Time's PatternPhilosophers like Henri Bergson emphasized "duration" (durée)—time as lived experience, not measured seconds—arguing that our intellect fragments it into artificial patterns, while intuition reveals its fluid, continuous flow. In a hurried state, we default to that fragmented view, missing the holistic pattern, such as the bidirectional collision at "now" where time folds symmetrically. Eastern traditions, echoed in modern mindfulness, suggest that emotional clutter creates "monkey mind," jumping erratically and obscuring time's cycles. blog.heartmanity.com Practices like meditation retrain this, fostering awareness that uncovers patterns—e.g., how emotions warp tasks (anxious ones drag, enjoyable ones fly). In essence, your observation highlights a divide: Those attuned through awareness experience time's "reality" as expansive and patterned, while the hurried perceive it as a relentless, linear rush toward an endless future—missing the short, colliding symmetries underneath. This isn't just abstract; it has real implications for well-being, as slowing down via mindfulness can reduce stress and enhance clarity. holyfamily.edu +1 Have you noticed this in your own life, or is there a specific practice (like meditation) that helps you grasp time's pattern more clearly? 9 posts 10 web pages

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