Final Blog Post!

Dear Sarah,                                                                                                                                     12/20/22

 

Hi there. I just wanted to take a moment (or perhaps several) with you and talk about time. I think, for us, time has been quite strange. We’ve been friends for over a decade now and so much, unsurprisingly and surprisingly, has changed. I think about when we talked about our futures together—how we both wanted to write stories—and where we are now. I promise I’m not just going to be too sentimental. But I’ve just been thinking.

 

I took a class this semester that I think you would’ve loved. Well, actually, two classes. But the one I’ll tell you about is all about time and literature. It sounds pretty abstract, right? What is there to time in literature? A lot, I’ll tell you. There’s historical time, which is pretty straightforward, and then other forms of time—like community time, queer time, environmental time, and so much more. I think you would’ve really loved it.

 

The things I’ve learned in that class have truly changed my perspective on things. We read one article about the illusion of linear time (called “The Arrow of Time”) and how if we didn’t have our brains, time would be perceived all at once—future, present, and past. In fact, those terms wouldn’t have much significance because everything is now. I know, it sounds kind of crazy. But I promise you, it’s real and scientific. I based an entire research paper off this new conception of time; I incorporated philosophy, literature, and science fiction. Honestly, I think you’d like it. 

 

What I really want you to know about time, though, is that it might be more malleable than we think. Apart from the quantum physics in the “Arrow of Time” article, there’s truth to this perception of time. Time isn’t always chronological, as strange as that might sound. We can change the past when we learn more of the truth, we can change the future with our choices, and we can explore the present in each moment. In one of my favorite books I read for the semester, A Tale for the Time Being, the author explored the malleability and constantly changing experience of time. There’s an exploration of quantum physics, but mor importantly, it looks into and questions our linear explanation of time. It’s a little mind-bending, but it gives a new and refreshing perspective on time that highlights the freedom and simultaneous limitation of human beings in experiencing and creating time.

 

I know time has to always be on your mind with Leon growing up so quickly. It seems crazy that he’s already one—he both seems younger and older! In a way, he is. Even so, as the moments seemingly fly by, I want you to know that time doesn’t have to slip through your fingers. We can both find time, both infinite and contained, in every moment. I’ll always treasure the moments we’ve had together—the Criminal Minds binges, the car rides, the moments at RAM—all of it I try to remember and make my present once again.

 

Anyways, I just thought I’d share what I’ve learned about time with you. We’ve been friends for a long time, and I hope we remain friends for even longer.

 

Love you,

Liliana  

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