The Concept of Time and My College Reunion

Time is a complicated phenomenon. We live in time, or the dimension of time, and we operate in the social construct of time. We know we’re in the dimension of time because we see ourselves age and grow older. 

Nathan Palmer, author of the article, “How Time is a Social Construct,” writes: “Time is a social construction. It’s not so important that we know what time it really is. It’s only important that we know what time everyone around us thinks it is. Once we know this, we can deliver packages on time, run our airports and most importantly get in our seats before class starts.“ (Sociology in Focus blog.)

As if this isn’t heady enough, depending on our mindset, we can be living in the past, the present and the future of time.

Recently, I attended my college reunion in Tacoma, Wash. The reunion was commemorating an international exchange program with Nijenrode Business University, in Breukelen, Holland. I had the good fortune of being an exchange student at this Dutch university my junior year. The exchange program included students from six other U. S. universities, thus creating our 20-person American class in the Netherlands.

During the reunion, I was struck by the concept of time. Since cell phones and email weren’t yet in use when we were exchange students, we were very present in our current experience. We almost had no choice but to be present. Other than snail mail, a pre-arranged phone call from the States and the Chicago Tribune, we were in the dimension of time from the present moment. 

Being so present led to an incredibly rich experience for our group. We were not dwelling in the past or anticipating the future. We were connected to each other through the present moment and what the experience offered. We were flowing in time. 

As we brought the past into the present moment at our reunion, I realized how pure that time had been for our group. The depth of our connection during that year carried us from that point into the future with deep love, laughter and friendship.  

Cheers to a simpler time without cell phones and the Internet. Cheers to the complexities of time, timeless relationships and what the present moment holds for each of us.