Author: Alan Lightman

What if time didn’t move in a straight manner? What if it moved in circles instead? In Einstein’s Dreams, Alan Lightman writes a very compelling and thought-provoking story which outlines all the different ways time could be experienced. It could also be seen as the different ideas that Einstein had before arriving at his famous theory of relativity. The story is accompanied by short but powerful pieces of writing which lead us to question time and wonder why we take it for granted most of the time and why we think it moves in a very specific way.

If time was a circle, we would be bound to repeat the same things over and over again. When falling in a routine, we actually experience this day to day. Every day becomes a routine where we repeat more or less the same things. Good moments and bad moments will be repeated over and over again. Perhaps we might lose interest after sometime and become immune to this, but still our lives would be like Groundhog day and eventually we would want to get out of it.

“In the world in which time is a circle, every handshake, every kiss, every birth, every word, will be repeated precisely… And just as all things will be repeated in the future, all things now happening happened a million times before.” Einstein’s Dreams – Alan Lightman

There is some truth to what Lightman says. There are times when time seems to slow down when we undertake a boring task or when we are in the office at work, yet it seems to move so rapidly when we are having a good time and sharing with the people that we love. We can perceive and feel time in this way even though the clock shows otherwise.

The argument goes that if the past has uncertain effect on the present, there isno need to dwell on the past. And if the present has little effect on the future, present actions need no be weighed for their consequence. Rather, each act is an island in time, to be judged on its own. Einstein’s Dreams – Alan Lightman

In the book, there is a place where people are led by impulse. They do what they’re supposed to do, and do it immediately. Therefore, that moment is the only one that matters. In some people’s heads, this would be the ideal scenario since we would live in the present, and overthinking would be thrown out the window. The world would be full of sincerity due to the immediacy of living the moment.

Perhaps, the immediacy of living the moment can rush us not to live at all since we would be worried about making things happen on the spot. There are things to be enjoyed immediately but there are also things that are enjoyed in the long run such as having a baby.

In yet another world, time moves faster at the outer edges and slower close to the center. Most people try to move closer to the center since that will allow them to live longer. If one is going through a bad situation, he goes to the outer edges so that his situation goes away quickly. The same goes when one is enjoying oneself with others, he will move closer to the center to elongate the moment even more.

There are many more ways in which time can move which are outlined in the book, but I would like to describe my favorite or at least one of the most interesting ones. There is a world where people have no memories. In this world, everyone seems to do things for the first time. Every time is the first time.

“For it is only habit and memory that dulls the physical passion. Without memory, each night is the first night, each morning is the first morning, each kiss and touch are the first.” Einstein’s Dreams – Alan Lightman

Every person has a book that reminds that person what he’s done, it’s called the book of life. However, as once gets older the book gets thicker and thicker so it might not be advisable to read it, but rather keep living since everyone has only 24 hours before he forgets everything again. It is a world of the present. Some decide to ignore what they did or were yesterday and rather focus on today, and what they can accomplish on that day. There’s no long-term goals either since what you do you’ll forget, so its better to enjoy life now. That’s all that matters.

Lightman also describes a world where we live eternally, so all of our goals can be achieved, yet at the same time all the goals can wait since we have unlimited time. There are many worlds in this book which give free rein to our minds to wonder and wander. I found that the best way to read this book is to read a little, pause, and ponder.

Additional Resources:

Ted Talk by Alan Lightman

Theater show based on Einstein’s Dreams by Alan Lightman.

https://www.59e59.org/shows/show-detail/einsteins-dreams/

Interesting review by physics central.

https://www.physicscentral.com/explore/writers/einsteins-dreams.cfm

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