Time Goes By
As another year passed last week, I got to thinking about time. I don't know why, but I'm fascinated with time. It's so interesting to see time go by and the changes that come with it. Consider how you feel when you find an old classmate on Facebook who you haven't seen for 30 years. Their photo will instantly remind you of how much time has passed. Or, think of your children when they were small and how much they've changed, even though it seems like it was only yesterday.
It's also interesting that we give our time names and numbers like "January," "Sunday," "the 90s" or "2012," and then these names and numbers seem to take on a personality. For example, think of the word "Sunday" and then notice what comes to mind; church, football, a day off work, maybe a barbecue, etc... When I think of "1967" for example, I think of songs like "I'm a Believer" by the Monkees, or the first Chevrolet Camaro, or the Summer of Love. Thinking of 1967, or one of many other time periods, brings to mind a feeling or a mood. How is it that these semantics develop meaning?
Well, however it happens, it doesn't seem to be happening as much anymore. For example, try to think of the name of the decade between 2001 and 2010. Or, if you're familiar with cars, think of what a 2006 Chevrolet Impala looks like. You'll realize that it looks almost exactly like a 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, or a 2012. I can about guess what the 2013 model will look like. Prior to 1980 most cars looked different each year and that look contributed to the personality of the time. To me it seems that modern times are more "generic" and don't have personality like times past. Or, maybe it's just that one can only feel that personality when looking back.
I think our current decade will be called the "teens" (even though it is not yet 2013). It's hard for me to think of our current time as the "teens" because, when I think of the "teens," I think of the time between 1911 and 1920, even though I wasn't alive then. I wonder what personality our kids and grandkids will see in these new "teens."
It's also interesting that we give our time names and numbers like "January," "Sunday," "the 90s" or "2012," and then these names and numbers seem to take on a personality. For example, think of the word "Sunday" and then notice what comes to mind; church, football, a day off work, maybe a barbecue, etc... When I think of "1967" for example, I think of songs like "I'm a Believer" by the Monkees, or the first Chevrolet Camaro, or the Summer of Love. Thinking of 1967, or one of many other time periods, brings to mind a feeling or a mood. How is it that these semantics develop meaning?
Well, however it happens, it doesn't seem to be happening as much anymore. For example, try to think of the name of the decade between 2001 and 2010. Or, if you're familiar with cars, think of what a 2006 Chevrolet Impala looks like. You'll realize that it looks almost exactly like a 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, or a 2012. I can about guess what the 2013 model will look like. Prior to 1980 most cars looked different each year and that look contributed to the personality of the time. To me it seems that modern times are more "generic" and don't have personality like times past. Or, maybe it's just that one can only feel that personality when looking back.
I think our current decade will be called the "teens" (even though it is not yet 2013). It's hard for me to think of our current time as the "teens" because, when I think of the "teens," I think of the time between 1911 and 1920, even though I wasn't alive then. I wonder what personality our kids and grandkids will see in these new "teens."
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The Other Way It Is
The stories and opinions of author Trent Ruble.
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