Dear reader,
Aristotle noted that time could only be felt in the decay of living things, i.e. it is real only in our ability to observe its passage. Over the centuries, technology has freed us from observing the lengths of shadows on the ground, the heights of wax candles, and the passage of sun and stars across the sky. Time is now the ticking of clocks, the sounds of alarms, and the notifications of messages and calendar appointments.
With his book, Order of Time, physicist/writer Carlo Rovelli taught me to not take such measurements too seriously. Everything has its own time. Aristotle was right. What we notice, and how, defines our perception of time.
Dear reader, have you ever held time in your hands? Have you ever toyed with it? Is the power of observation a superpower?
The SneakyArt Post is a publication of secretly drawn art of the world. Every week, I share the best lines from my sketchbook pages, and the best ideas from my life as an artist and writer.
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The Chinatown neighbourhood sits in the heart of Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. Even if you don’t know where you are going, you know you are in it when the lampposts and traffic poles around you are painted red.
The sky was blue and the sun played hide-n-seek behind rolling clouds. Looking up, you might imagine it was still summer. But the cold wind blowing in from the ocean shattered all such illusions. On a chilly afternoon, I found a spot against the side of a building, in the sun but out of the wind.
Time is sneaky too
Time does not always fly by. I have no way to know but I think Aristotle would agree that it can be quite sneaky sometimes. Summer lasts forever, then is gone. Winter lasts forever too, in the same way. But Autumn carries no such illusions. We understand that it might be gone tomorrow, or the day after. We know every moment is precious and irreplaceable and transient. Autumn is the correct frame of mind to see time in action.
Cafe Life
In human activity too, you see the passage of time. As the weather turns cold, social interactions move to indoor spaces. Cafes become an essential third space of city life - a place that is not yours, or mine, but ours.
With a coffee and donut, I thought about indoor vs outdoor spaces. I thought about the big glass windows shielding me from the elements. I thought about the illusion of connectedness, being able to see the flow of traffic and pedestrians bundled up against the cold.
If observation really is a superpower, what kind of superpower is it? Surely not a great power. You cannot use it for great change. Only for the little things. Like the meaning in the minutes of your day.
The Existentialists say that existence precedes essence, countering the Aristotelian idea that all life has an essential purpose, or reason, to exist. The Existentialists say that you are only what you do, nothing more, nothing less. How you spend your hours, days, seasons, and years, ultimately defines who you are.
You cannot use observation for great change. Only for the little things. Like your brief existence as a life on this planet, here then gone.
In two weeks, at the next Insiders Hangout, I will flip through my sketchbooks of the year. I will invite Insiders to share their work as well. To join this session, become a SneakyArt Insider.
Thank you, dear reader, for your time and attention. I am glad to have a space in your inbox.
215. Autumn, here then gone.