Have you ever noticed how you start a task with which you’re unfamiliar, and then just when you’re about to finish it, you finally work out what the knack is?

We learn by two methods on the whole: observation of the physics or chemistry of a process, and within that, why a mistake happened. If we are sane, we then look for ways of avoiding the mistake next time. Or put another way, one learns far more from studied failure than one ever could from unthinking success.

Enstein famously remarked that the ultimate sign of stupidity is to keep on trying the same experiment in the hope of getting a different result. Indeed, he also said, “Only two things are infinite –  the Universe, and Man’s stupidity…and I’m still not sure about the Universe”.

We need Time to learn, because only Time can allow events to unfold, and thus show us our mistakes. Time is an ever-present  factor in a three-dimensional Universe, but it is not a constant: e = mc2 dictates that as we go faster, Time slows down, and mass increases. This stops anyone or anything with a mass from achieving the speed of light. Time isn’t constant, it is relative. But the speed of light is a constant: as such, it is a barrier from leaving the 3-dimensional prison in which we all live.

The physicists used to tell us that Time did not exist before Big Bang, but of late they’ve changed their minds. I’m glad they’ve done this, because such an idea is daft: if you need Time to complete the chemical reaction of a bang, then there couldn’t be a Big Bang without Time.

But you also need Time to see something develop, and then learn from that. There is also a majority view now that you could go forward in Time, but not back….so even if you went forward, you wouldn’t be able to get back and warn people about bad stuff.

You need Time to make mistakes, but you can’t use Time to correct previous mistakes. For me, there is something quite important in that. Somehow, it suggests that we’re here to learn, but no cheating is  allowed: if we try to remove our mistakes we might get ideas above our station and try to use Time  to erase them.

Who or what, then, caused or created Time? Presumably, some form of intelligence where there is no Time. The assumption might be that such intelligence has no Time because it is perfect – and thus has nothing to learn. Does it or they regret creating it? Was it all a ghastly mistake?

Eckart Tolle talks interestingly and at great length about the need to be in Now as often as possible….on the basis that, by definition, Now is eternal – once it isn’t Now any more, Time has passed. If one achieves the ability to stay in Now then relative Time will stand still, and in  theory you will live forever.

I really have no strong idea about why it should be, but there is no doubt that focusing on the sights, sounds, smells and tastes of now does bring with it an enormous sense of tranquility. Tolle is defiinitely onto something here – I’m just not sure what.

My head hurts now; I’m going to sleep.