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Dissertation on Microcosms
You think you have a very firm grasp of time and space. You think you move in a straight line through time which you can measure. This is not true, and if you believe this, well, I will clear things up a bit. We measure time in minutes, hours, days, but these are manufactured units which only take into consideration the superficial indicators of time: the movements of the earth around the sun, the predictable orbiting of the moon. An “hour” means about as much to time as an “inch” means to matter. These are just labels we place on time and matter for our own use, they actually have nothing to do with the very nature of what time and matter really are. I feel like I am getting off-topic here, so I will just come right out and say it. Life is a series of slightly-related microcosms. The next step is to explain what a microcosm is. A microcosm is a temporary state of existence with fixed rules. When you go on vacation, that is an artificial microcosm. They can last for days, weeks, or even years. The defining characteristics of a microcosm are your behaviour during this time, and the people you interact with. For a few days, I find myself doing the same activities at the same times. Sleeping lasts from midnight until 8. My daily activities keep me out until around 5. I come home and relax for awhile. From around 9 until midnight I read. I might follow this same pattern for a week, talking to the same people on the internet, and spending my time with the same people. The rules are set. Say one day I meet someone completely interesting and new. I will spend time getting to know them, and my routine may become drastically different, though a new routine will form to take its place. A new microcosm, if you will. Now I have time designated for talking to this person, and spending time with them. I neglect people I spent extensive time talking to only a few days before. I am a new person, and the rules have changed. I have moved into the next microcosm.
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