We approach Time wrong
Why we keep making the same mistakes
Watching America’s war in Iran makes one thing clear: the administration seems to operate on a linear perception of time. It’s a “first we act, then we deal with the consequences” approach. We handle emergencies in the same way: first evacuate, then extinguish the fire, smother the embers, clean up, and then rebuild. This kind of thinking assumes time is a straight, unwavering line. However, we know from both Einstein’s theories and our own lived experiences that time is not constant; it’s fluid. Furthermore, time is cyclical. We see this in the obvious cycles of day and night, the turning of the seasons, the rhythm of the year, and the journey from birth to death. Yet, when we model our world and make decisions, we often fall back on the flawed assumption of linear, constant time. War doesn’t begin the moment a bomb is dropped, just as fire doesn’t ignite in isolation. The cycles of war, fire, and life itself are constant, ever-evolving, and deeply complex.
This led me to contemplate the nature of technology. We build our tech on a foundation of logic, yet the world, and humans in particular, often defy logic and predictability. Understanding past events doesn’t guarantee future foresight, and a significant part of this illogical behavior is intrinsically linked to the concept of time. Examples of time perception include the feeling that time moves more slowly when you’re waiting for something or when you were a child. In contrast, during an emergency, the moment of crisis can feel like it passes in an instant to an outsider, while time seems to slow down for the person experiencing the danger as they process the unfolding events. On a more practical note, a significant surge in sewer system usage across many parts of the U.S. occurs during halftime of the Super Bowl, as countless fans take a bathroom break simultaneously.
Until we learn to integrate the elasticity of time as a fourth dimension into our models, we will be destined to repeat the same errors. While quantum theory offers a glimpse into the intricate nature of reality, it is by applying the power of Machine Learning and AI that we can hope to solve these currently intractable problems.
If you are also working on this challenge, I would be delighted to connect. Unraveling the interplay of relativity, time, and space will require a collaborative effort from many minds.