The Girl Who Couldn't Kill

Chapter 7.5-Rory's Thought Journal #2

Volkov's weekly assignments

Question of the week: How does the revelation of time shape and affect our reality?

The Revelation of Time and Its Owners

Time is a vital sequence to our development as humans. Throughout history, reality has existed infinitely within an abundance of significant events that have taught valuable lessons on introspection. From what we have learned about the human experience, the reality is curated by an individual's provoking actions, thoughts, and decisions, hence it can consequently be influenced by the chronology of time. Accepting that differing realities exist, particularly in light of our youth, aging, and memory allows us to realize that reality is subjective. To understand a reality that is intangible, one has to rewind to the foundations in which our original mindset is built upon.

Having positive or negative experiences in childhood can have a profound impact on how a person lives in the future. Having pessimistic experiences at a young age can deteriorate a person's comprehension under overwhelming situations.

In René Descartes's "Meditation 1", he explains that to scrutinize an edifice, one has to "demolish everything completely and start again right from the foundations if [one] wanted to establish anything at all" (Descartes 1). Descartes' idea explains how the mind is molded from childhood and produces falsehoods from the senses or through the senses. Since senses deceive, traumatic events that happen early in life can internalize the mind to mature, even if the mind is still developing, hence dissolving the line between the period of youth and adulthood. People who have experienced loss or trauma are challenged to take more responsibility and nurture their mentality to the acceptance of society.

Our realities become subjective as time proceeds and intervene with goals and hopes. But to come to a consensus with reality, one must learn to pay the price for their actions and forge a reason for doubt. That way, one can start to see things more clearly, gaining closure and new beliefs as time continues to proceed. In having a positive environment while growing up, it becomes easier to "go straight for the basic principles on which all former beliefs rested" (Descartes 1).

Positivity is often associated with the concept of freedom, and freedom encourages people to become creative and open-minded. Therefore, the privilege of having space to comprehend difficulty teaches one at a young age the ability to think independently. This way, it is easier as physical time passes naturally, the brain develops and creates a reality they can accept as memorable. But as people age, it becomes harder to remember, and as memories are fickle, our mindsets can deviate and become immovable. This shows how reality is subjective and different for each individual.

As time passes interminably, differing mindsets are perpetual as they resonate with age, influencing one's decisions and actions to create various realities. With the diverse experiences of life, one can only learn so many valuable lessons, hence rapidly changing as the chronology of time proceeds, whether that's physically or mentally inclined. When going through the stages of life, one would "consider that what [they] previously saw was more unhidden than what was being shown" (Plato 2).

For instance, when going through a breakup for the first time, one would expect the worst, they may change the way they physically look and manipulate their beliefs to rid of the Self that reminded them of their past Self. Onwards, as they experience the same situation again, they start to see the unhidden; which was originally hidden to them: hope. The hope is not "the end of the world," but rather considering it as a valuable life lesson.

Essentially, to learn from someone intimately, in order to learn from yourself. This shows how elders can often be seen as wise, role model, and a mentor. It is because they have seen the hidden and the unhidden. With age, people gain more insight into different perspectives in similar situations, honing their skills to easily navigate through tougher times. With these life experiences, there also comes the importance of memories and how our consciousness can affect our soul and body.

Memories portray the relevance of time and reflect enlightenment to those who have mastered the understanding of reality. Memories are connected to the soul, deeply affecting our abilities to form thoughts and generate ideas from our minds. In Plato's theory of the soul, he proposes that "three parts of the soul are present in every person and none of them can be eliminated, although only one part of the soul can rule the whole at any given time" (Plato 1).

As proposed by Plato, the tripartite soul is divided into 3 sections. The rational part seeks the truth and uses logical thinking, which is based on structural and philosophical concepts. The spirited part deals with how emotions can positively and negatively influence your actions, The final part, located in the lower part of the body is called the appetitive part, which drives you to eat, have sex, and protect yourself.

With subjective time relativity, one can morph through psychological factors rather than physical time itself. As memories fade and become fickle, the soul is easily swayed from the spirited part, therefore emotions overpower the rational part. Depending from situation to situation, one can learn that the result is always different when the mind is developed by various life experiences. This is because the perception of time is shaped by how we cognitively process and store memories; which is the rational part that takes advantage at a given time. Human emotions and thoughts can impact how one experiences time, by either making it seem like it's moving faster or slower.

For example, when we are engaged in an enjoyable activity, time can feel like it's flying by. On the other hand, when we are in a stressful situation, time can feel like it's dragging on. Time can feel indefinite and abstract, therefore making it subjective and unique to each individual.

In conclusion, one can comprehend that reality is subjective when accepting differing realities exist, particularly when youth, aging, and memories are observed. Having either a positive or negative childhood can impact our lives as adults and the actions/ thought processes that come with it. With age, one's perspectives can differ depending on their life situation, and with memories, it comes down to how well our consciousness is and how the many parts of our soul can direct towards the reality we shape. Human beings are the only ones in control of change within time, depending on how that time is being used and comprehended, the revelation of time depends on its owner.

8.5/10. Time surely is interesting. I am fond of your perspective but I would like to challenge your ideas. What if Time doesn't exist? What if Time simply exists as a reference, content that we further develop by making development such as clocks, watches, and definitions to explain the passing of time? Time is subjective and wouldn't make that meaningless? Humans like to create meanings in things that don't have a true definition to promote the value of life. Good effort and contribution, make sure to expand more next time!