On Space and Time

Things take up space and so often we attempt to divest ourselves of relationship to them. Materialism has been a great teacher and imparted to us the wisdom that our relationship with objects that occupy physical space should be carefully considered.

It's interesting to think that physical presence and time are interdependent in creating meaning. A place that holds many personal memories and is later turned into a parking lot conveys the haunting sense of disconnect when we realize the meaning attached to those memories is not guaranteed an anchor in physical space. Friends and loved ones too, they pass away to some other place beyond the boundaries of physical presence.

I think there's a place in all of us that knows that this disconnect is unnatural. Without time, the weight of existence becomes a kind of flat world, where connection lacks depth or significance because it is all the same. And sometimes, experiences are interconnected, our desire for a thing or person might be connected to a long felt lack of some kind. Or perhaps the connection is an extension of an experience that lends tremendous significance. And I think in all of these scenarios, the weight of time bears heavily on their significance.

As our existence stretches forth, we cultivate a depth in our relationship with ideas, various forms of presence, and of course with God and spirit. The great hope is that this will form the anchor and substance of our being that continually grows like a cottonwood tree by a river that lives and lives eternally.