Home Science Page Data Stream Momentum Directionals Root Beings The Experiment
We perceive time in a linear fashion, experience it that way, and so assume that time behaves that way. Instead the theory of Time Ecology states that time has both a horizontal and vertical component. The horizontal component is our irresistible time line. The vertical component has to do with the momentum of cyclical, spiral time. Behavioral Time moves through many types of cyclical spirals: the daily and yearly, natural astronomical cycles; also the weekly and monthly cycles, human created time cycles.
We are daily, weekly, monthly, annual creatures who organize our lives in cyclical patterns. Although we experience time as a continuous dimension, one moment following the moment before, instinctually we organize our lives as if time was cyclical. The most primary time cycle is bound by the 24-hour day. Another major time cycle is the year. Both of these are natural cycles, one based upon the spinning of the Earth upon its axis, the other upon the revolution of the Earth around the Sun. The other 2 major cycles, weekly and monthly, originated around lunar cycles but have assumed a life of their own – independent of the Moon. We live cyclical lives revolving every day around the wake-sleep cycle. Each week is cycles around weekends and workdays. Each year is organized around seasonal activities. Instinctively we seem to organize our life in cyclical patterns. These cycles transcend the one dimensionality, the linear continuity, of time.
As is usual the underpinnings of common sense are trans-rational. While we behave as if time is cyclical, our mind tends to think about time in a linear fashion because we experience it that way. Although' we think in terms of Time Line we behave as if it were a Time Spiral instead. While our minutes and hours are connected continuously also our midnights are connected, midnight of the previous day with midnight of the following days, Mondays to Mondays, Januarys to Januarys. January is connected loosely to February and December but is connected more integrally to the preceding and following Januarys. Monday is connected loosely with Sunday and Tuesday in our continuous time flow, but is more connected with other Mondays. More people die on Mondays, not because of Sunday or Tuesday but because of a long stack of stressful Mondays piled on top of each other. So each day, week, year, spirals around continuously looping back on its time cycle. Even though our minds think that time is linear, we behave as if time is spiraling back upon itself. We have daily, weekly, and yearly time spiral cycles that we participate in. In other words, we behave as if time is wrapped upon back upon itself, with similar times of the day, week, or year connected together, while we experience time in a continuous way, on a minute-to-minute basis.
Inherent in most people's experience is the idea that cycles repeat themselves. So in the background of our superstitious minds is the idea that a cycle will repeat itself sometime again and that the next time it does, that we will be prepared. Our civilized mind denies the notion of cycles and instead views cycles as mere happenstance. There is the civilized notion that Man's mind puts Order upon the Chaos of existence in order to shield himself from the Nothingness. So our 'primitive' mind still believes in repeating cycles while our 'civilized' brain is convinced that we are only seeing order because of our craving for order.
Under the concept of Linear Time any response is possible at any time. There is no sense of rhythmic repetition. At any moment, an individual could go through a complete conversion and do an about face in his life. This notion is exemplified in the Bible heritage by the example of Saul's conversion into Paul on the road to Damascus. One day he is helping to stone the Christians, the next day after a sign from God, and an instantaneous conversion to Christianity, he becomes the best PR-man, spokesman, for Christianity that any religion has ever had. Under the concept of Linear Time, the idea of limiting possibilities makes no sense. We, of course, learn from experience but at any time we can change. All we have to do is to decide to do it and it's done. These concepts of narrowing potentials are absurd, under the concept of linear time. By the fact of living we operate under Will and any notion of being limited by the past is disregarded. 'The past is finished. How could it have any effect upon the present or future?'
Under the idea of Science in its extreme sense, there is no need to speak about possibilities because there are none. "If there were a big enough computer and all the factors could be charted in, we could predict the weather a year in advance." (A famous astrophysicist made this classic Science comment. The idea of Predestination is a religious manifestation of this scientific idea. If man could understand the planets and their workings, then God could of course understand Man and his workings. There are some invisible laws at work, which determine every single behavior. So the Scientists understand the Physical Universe and God understands Man. It has been preordained by a bunch of divine Equations. God gave the universe a push and then stood back, watching it unravel, knowing exactly what was going to happen because they were his laws, that he had set up.
Under the concept of Linear Time, the possibilities are infinite because the past ceases to exist. Under the concepts of the Physical Science/Predestination polarity the possibilities are singular, one. If there are infinite possibilities or only one possibility then the idea of probabilities becomes obsolete and there is no need to proceed further. However if the truth is between the two, if the truth is that there are many possibilities, not one or infinite, then time is a spiral with density and momentum by the laws of Mathematics, which we shall soon see.
Spiral Time Momentum incorporates the concept of Will with the Scientific/Religious idea that all has been pre-ordained by the Prime Mover. At each moment one creates time density. Hence when the cycle returns, a momentum has been created which pushes the individual along, against his will, so to speak. But if the individual exerts his Will, he can create a new time density, more to his liking. Time momentum carries us along, independent of our Will. But our Will can change the momentum.
Along with the idea of the Prime Mover comes the idea of Fate, which has been around at least as long as the Greeks. The Gods decreed your Fate, which the Oracles interpreted (ambiguously), and there was no way of avoiding your Fate. Oedipus was the classic case of Fate. It was decreed at his birth that he would murder his father and marry his mother. Although his father and mother did all they could to avoid this occurrence, because of Fate, it happened anyway. An underlying current in our language acknowledges the workings of Fate. 'It was fated to be. We were fated to meet. A fate worse than death.' These are all common expressions alluding to the mysterious but divine unraveling of our fate. A word associated with those who have embraced this concept is fatalistic, which implies the grim acceptance of one's fate no matter what it may bring.
A similar but distinctly different concept is Destiny. 'To live up to one's Destiny. He had a great Destiny. It was her Destiny to bear the Christ-Child.' Fate is almost interchangeable with Destiny in these phrases, but not quite. No one lives up to his Fate. Fate is what happens to you. Your Destiny is what you accomplish, achieve, or earn. In some senses Destiny seems to have also been decreed by the Gods. But while Fate seems inevitable, Destiny seems to be the best end that the individual could achieve under the circumstances. 'Tripped up by Fate trying to accomplish his Destiny.' 'His Destiny was thwarted by Fate.'
Destiny is your greatest possibility, which Fate gets in the way of. Will is what one uses to overcome Fate and achieve one's Destiny. Achilles was the classic case. The Oracle proclaimed that Achilles could lead a quiet life and live to a ripe old age or he could go into battle, die young, and live forever in men's minds. He had a choice. 'He accomplished his Destiny against all odds.'
According to Greek mythology, each human has his destiny given to him by the gods. However if the individual forgets to pay his proper respect to the gods for blessing him thus, then he is cursed and is fated for destruction. Without proper respect for the gods an individual's destiny is aborted. The idea is that the human can accomplish much with the assistance of the Gods. But if he exerts his will, independent of the gods, then he is faced with many divine obstacles. The gods send the Furies against the individual who curses or forgets the gods.
'Send him to jail. He had a choice. He broke the law. Man always has the choice to do good or bad.' 'All he needs to do is stop drinking. He has no Will Power.' The idea behind this common sense way of thinking is that 'man is the master of his destiny or fate.' Actually under this way of thinking there is no such thing as fate or destiny. Man has the free will to make of himself what he pleases. Examples are thrown out of individuals rising out of the ghetto, rising above their 'fate'. 'Consequences for behavior.'
The psychologists many times portray the individual as a victim of environmental factors. The idea of victim is based upon the Science/Predestination notion of no choices. However the advocates of Free Will ignore any environmental factors saying that it is just a matter of Will Power, Darwin's survival of the fittest, because man always has the choice between Good & Evil. The theory of spiral Time momentum predicts that only by changing underlying time patterns will a real change occur.
One Wills beneath the limits of the Uncertainty Principle. Will acts orthogonally upon the space-time continuum, to effect past, present and future. But Will is a muscle that needs to be exercised and atrophies with no use. {More on this in the Uncertainty Principle & Behavior Notebook.}
We've seen how the different ideas of time operate in our society. We've also seen how Free Will and Predestination merge in popular thinking. Most common people act as if both will and environmental factors play a part. Most people act as if all ideas are true sometimes, holding mutually contradictory ideas simultaneously. (Sounds like modern physics). If pinned down, an individual will retreat to 'Either/Or' but the individual behaves as if 'Both/And.' But enough of philosophy, back to some numbers.
We will ignore the concept of pre-destination because the dialogue for change is considered trivial under its precepts. If it is all predetermined, all one needs to do is to accept one's fate, one's position or role in life. There is no need for change for all has been predetermined. One of the primary thrusts of this study is to discover the parameters of human behavioral change.
Remember the idea of predestination and the Prime Mover is also at the base of the Science Myth. Many high level scientists still propound this view, or at least, suggest its validity. Many equally high-level equations are based upon an initial point and some interrelated functions. Archimedes said give me a lever long enough and I can move the Earth. Modern scientists say give me the starting point and some divine equations and I can tell you where anyone or anything will be at any point in time. Although possible, we will assume that choice at some level exists. We are not beyond freedom & dignity.
While at the root of this quest is the belief in choice, we're not sure about the term Free Will. Free implies without restriction. Although the concept of linear time implies Free Will or Predestination, we do not believe that Will is without restriction. Instead we feel that Will is an intrusion upon the natural course of predestination. Our criminal justice is based upon the idea that because there is Free Will that a big enough punishment will cause the criminal to change his ways because he has a choice. The psychologists say that the criminal is a victim of his past, his environment. Spiral Time Theory predicts that the Big Punishment won't work unless it is connected with changing underlying patterns. It also predicts that counseling won't work either unless it is connected with changing underlying patterns. The Time densities must be changed for an individual to change. Outside forces can change an individual's Time Density but then must also cultivate his Will so that the individual will not continue to be a Victim of his past.
At the heart of this study is the assumption that Time is constantly developing momentum, which is being constantly challenged by Will. The developing momentum we will call Flow. Will modifies Flow. The Experiment is about the study of the interaction between Flow and Will. The Flow follows strict mathematical parameters while Will disrupts these parameters in an unpredictable mathematical way (of course).