Time and Spinoza

Our western way of thinking of time is often progressive and linear: things will be better and better in the coming times

But what about aging and death? Well sometimes that seem to be a problem for us. A problem that may be solved

so when a thing like corona comes, it's looked upon as something unnatural. 

But it is not, virus like covid 19 is natural, even if we don't know if it is dead or a living thing. 

but there are other ways to look at time

It can be seen as circular, or like a spiral. Things like civilizations and species come and go. 

it may be seen as a development, or maybe we want to see like that. we humans are more developed than the monkeys. or? 

time can also be seen as Einstein explained, it is the clock time, its invented by us... 

let's agree that our way of looking at time is one of many, and it may be a way that in the end creates more problems than it solves. 

Andrey Tarkovsky, the Russian director, had a special way to look at time. 

He filmed scenes that could be dreamlike, where different times can be seen at the same time, time and space are interacting - you can see it here; 

you can have a look at it here; 


It's about psychological time. And for Tarkovsky the canon that has inspired him - like Bach, da Vinci, Shakespeare. 

But for also about the animals that have been here before us. We have so many ancestors, not just humans, but animals like apes until the first life on earth. 

And if we go longer in history, until we reach the beginning. All was already there, before the Big Bang. There are our beginning. What a miracle, from that little egg, until the so widespread universe!

What a journey we are on - how can i t be that we are here?

We don't know the answers on the big questions. Who are we, where are we going and is there a plan for us or is everything made by chance?

For me, its clear that we are deeply connected to the whole of the universe. 

Like Spinoza i believe that we are small parts of the universe -  "god or nature", as Spinoza put it. 

 Spinoza meant that god or nature is the substance that all come from. 

we are all small parts, attributes,  of the same substance and for me the substance is called the universe. 

We may be more connected to the whole of the universe than we can imagine. 


How to strive upwards? Not just with space-ships.

No. more like the mass in b-minor by Bach. played in Gothic cathedral with its high towers. 

To strive upwards is to look at the universe, isn't? To strive for bigger wisdom. 

And  it's necessary to not be stuck in the petty things. 

and for that we may need meditation to recognize petty thoughts like jealousy, anger and scariness . 

then we can have a look at the bigger picture, we make space for a new creativity. 


I use meditation to get in touch with the universe in another way:

I start a metta meditation by wishing my self

may you be peaceful

may you be safe

may you be healthy

may you live with eas. 


I then go on to wish my near and dear ones the same.

then nature, including us and then I really feel the pain of the nature in my body.

but when I go on to wish the sun, our galaxy, all the galaxies and at the end the whole universe the same I feel good again. 

usually a smile is spreading on my face and I interpret it as the happiness of the universe. in the big picture everything is alright, even of the earth is going through troublesome times. 

the universe is in a good shape

The universe is growing, is dynamic and creative. So much is happening and the Earth is so small and not important in the big picture. 

But if we can end this long era of violence, we could be important. we can be a good example; its possible for intelligent life to understand itself and to change. 

But there can also be another perspective; in the view of the universe it may be that creativity and change are the most interesting things. That means; its boring with total peace because that means no development. 

Total peace means the end of the universe - total death. Very cold and boring.

so sometimes  change the phrase may you be peaceful to may you be creative..

In the end there will be no more matter to be creative wit

Total peace means the end of the universe - total death. Very cold and boring.

And no more time.

A lot of galaxies seen from the Hubble- telescope 



when we meditate we recognize that we have no permanent identity of self. It more accurate that we have identities that shift with age and even from day to day. 

Spinoza thought that our individual identity was not the most important for us. If we would be more adequate to identify with the eternal universe. 

Bow it seems that the universe is not eternal. but that couldn't  Spinoza know. 

But as Roger  Penrose suggests; after the "death" of the universe a new big bang can follow. So maybe, in that way it is somehow eternal - and so are we. 





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