An observation I made in 2011. More real to me today than ever.

As a train approaches me and blows its horn, the pitch sounds higher, as it moves away the pitch sounds lower. This happens because my perception of the sound wave is affected by the distance: shorter distance, narrower sine wave, higher pitch, and reverse this for the lower pitch as the train gets further away.

My perception of time is like this, except, instead of a higher and lower pitch, I have the perception that each decade seems exponentially (as opposed to equally) more remote in my memory. 2001 is like yesterday; 1991 feels much further removed; and 1981 is like another lifetime. I was nine in 1971, so I wont rely on that perception as having the same degree of continuity as the others.

Is there a lesson here? As I approach the end of my life, as we approach the end of history, time seems to speed up. Things feel like they happen and pass by more quickly. Even younger people I speak to have a perception that, say, the last school year, went by so fast. Is the end close? Maybe.

This is all perceptual, not Scriptural. Biblically speaking, time to God may be short or long depending upon his will. “But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day” (2 Peter 3:8, NIV). So, God can get a thousand years worth of work done in a day, or a thousand years may pass by as quickly as a day. Time is subject to God and his will.

I need to subject myself and my perceptions to God, and not be a slave to time.