Important Question: Does Time Exist?
Hi friends,
That's a pretty [redacted] fast week flew by. I have to get used to the fact that the time between two Thursdays is shorter than the time between two Mondays, even though this idea of time is probably an illusion. I don’t have much evidence but in Kate Havenik’s Unlike Me, she says time does not really exist. Einstein rejected the distinction between past, present and future, an idea I subscribe to without thinking about the science to it.
This past weekend, my parents marked their 30th wedding anniversary. When I asked my mum how it felt, she gave me the cliché, “How time flies” line. I’ve been thinking about it, though, of how time speeds up when you’re having a good time. Is this something that happens to you?
There’s a theory of time that our minds can speed up or slow down our perception of time. This weekend, I sort of tested out the theory when I went hiking with a group of backpackers to Erin Ijesha. The hike was to take an hour or more, so I looked at the clock on the screen of my phone a couple of times at the beginning, mostly out of fear—one slip meant I could fall into the unknown, get tangled in a web of old tree branches, or break my head on a rock. Time seemed to crawl as we climbed through this difficult part of the trail—the first, second and third levels. As soon as it was over, and my head stopped pounding, I got an adrenaline rush (I have a feeling it was the energy drink I had). From then, time seemed to speed up—pápàpá.
Time has taken up enough radio time. Let’s talk about something else like Stephanie Borowicz, her carefully worded “Christian” prayer and damsel in distress appearance before the first Muslim woman, Democratic Rep. Movita Johnson-Harrell was sworn in to the Pennsylvania State legislature. This was wrong. It’s got me thinking about the separation of religion from the state, and the right to freedom of religion guaranteed under the constitution. Faith can be a beautiful thing, but we must exercise it in love, and not use it as a tool for hatred or an excuse to violate other people's rights.
What did I read?
This week, I read this Slate essay about Toni Morrison, an ambiguous writer and a difficult woman. I’ve been thinking about this term difficult. A lot of women and feminists are called difficult for being principled and proper. This motivated me to start writing CNF about being a difficult woman. Excerpt here:
Namwali Serpell wrote about her late sister in an experimental way that reminded me of how much I love my sisters. This is my favorite quote:
“Hold my hand. I don’t care if it’s damp. Before you hang up the phone, tell me you love me. Say it. Now. Always.” When last did you tell your siblings you loved them? I think you should do that right away.
(Speaking of sisters, I did something fun on Tuesday when my sister and I modeled for Twentysix.co’s new collection.)
This essay had me questioning everything I know about writing. Why do we write in the style, pattern or formula in which we write? The author imagines what fiction would look like if it took a more natural world shape.
I listened to an interview with Phoebe Boswell where she discussed her current exhibition. It’s an exhibition that uses art as a way to connect with others whose wounds may remain unseen. It reminded me of my current read, Nnamdi Ehirim’s Prince of Monkeys where a friendship ensues between the protagonist and his cousin because of grief and a shared moment of unhappiness. It’s a recommended read.
In Feminism, and still on outrage culture that we discussed last week, what are your thoughts on the social media response to Cardi B’s confessions that recently resurfaced: drugging and robbing men? There’s no whitewashing it: it was wrong. But people have muddled the facts, accused her of being a rapist, and of course blamed feminists, inter alia. Where do we draw the line in these “gender wars”?
To end today's (rather long) letter (forgive me!), I’ll share this interesting article on anger and forgiveness. Here’s something David Whyte, the quoted philosopher said, something I hope we can learn from:
"To forgive is to put oneself in a larger gravitational field of experience than the one that first seemed to hurt us. We re-imagine ourselves in the light of our maturity and we re-imagine the past in the light of our new identity, we allow ourselves to be gifted by a story larger than the story that first hurt us and left us bereft.”