Time is the ever constant force that presses against us. As our consciousness moves continually forward, our perception of it changes; how we feel about things in our life changes. When I first sprained my ankle I was upset about my immobility and I was overwhelmingly frustrated. I’m a fairly active person and suddenly not being able to walk or hike or run or work out was difficult for me to handle. Several weeks later, as I continue to rehab the same ankle, I feel more self-confident and hopeful because of how much it’s improved. I always knew it would get better and that it would just take time, but because I’ve dealt with it for weeks now, I look forward to the other end of this train of time. I’m more better than hurt, and I’m more eager than frustrated. That’s what happens. Because I’ve dealt with similar injuries in the past, I knew I would experience this whole cycle… but I couldn’t quite get myself to trust it when I first got hurt. I believe true wisdom is the ability to appreciate and respect time.

We need to wise up now. Social media and the engineering of dopamine loops through the accessibility and addictive nature of our news and information is harming us as a society. We refuse to act on climate change because it’s not something we can visually see. We are unable to perceive other members of our society’s experiences because they are not our own. These monumental challenges will not resolve themselves. If we can look upon our lives within a larger framework, perhaps we can come together and solve our messes. Each of us only has 80 years or so. What will we do with that time? Will we use it to exploit everything possible for a pleasurable 80 years? Or will we take calculated risks and make measured sacrifices to improve the 80 years that come after we’re gone? Before we can make that choice, we need to see it.