The Beginning of "Clock-Time"




From "The Time Factor Book"

Time has been studied by great minds from Copernicus (1473–1543) to Galileo (1564–1642), from Newton (1643–1727) to Einstein (1879–1955), and to the modern-day Stephen Hawking in his book A Brief History of Time. And though physics is a fascinating science and you will hear its overtones throughout this book, what we are talking about is much, much more. We are looking for the secret of time in a place available to each and every one of us: the natural world today.


Thousands of years ago, our ancestors used the night sky, along with other means like the water clock and the sundial, to estimate the passage of time. The nights were full of danger, darkness, and cold, while the day’s sun brought light, warmth, safety, and hope. Knowing when to plant the crops in the spring so the harvest would be plentiful in the fall meant survival through the harsh winter months. There was no TV, no Applebee’s, and no www. A night out at the movies was a front row seat in the universe’s arena, the night sky, watching the phases of the moon, the close planets, and the stars constantly rotating and providing help to navigate through the seasons of time. Did people then ponder the mysteries inherent in the world around them? Perhaps. Perhaps not. All we really know is that it was a way to capture the essence of time as a tool for survival.

It comes as no surprise, then, that our calendar and clock system is based on the Earth’s revolution around the sun and the moon’s monthly cycle. Early civilizations used the same measurements to tell time, but without the sophisticated equipment, we have today, like radar and satellites. For example, it was over three thousand years ago that the Egyptians decided to divide the day from sunrise to sunset into twelve parts. Was this a good idea? Sure, at least back then. But is this measurement system for quantifying time still valid for twenty-first-century men and women, outside the farmers and fishermen?

  Life was different then! So was the way people viewed time. But most people today don’t give time much thought—outside of their addiction and adherence to the tick-tocking of the twelve-hour mechanical clock system that has been handed down through the generations. As Deepak Chopra says, “most people are trapped in the hypnosis of social conditioning.”

      Greek mythology gave us Chronos, the god of linear time. The Romans gave us June for Juno, an ancient goddess; July and August for Julius and Augustus Caesar; March for Mars, the ancient god of war; and January for Janus, the god of opening and closing doors. The Northern Germanic tribes gave us the Norse gods: Thor the god of thunder, for Thursday. Interesting, yes, but times have changed! In Latin, September means “seven,” but September is our calendar’s ninth month; October, from the Latin octo, means “eight,” but October is our calendar’s tenth month. November comes from novem or “nine,” but is our eleventh month, and December comes from decem or “ten,” but is our twelfth month. In fact, the reason for these discrepancies is that Caesar added in a month of his own just because he could, as did his nephew Augustus, who followed in his footsteps.


Does this mean that we should use the same calendar, the one developed at the whim of others centuries ago?

Furthermore, our seven-day week comes from the seven most visible planets to man: the Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Saturn, and Jupiter. They are just ancient beliefs and words from a time long past, systems created and changed over the years by the ancient or powerful of the moment to quantify time, likely implemented as a way to control the herd to pay their debts and taxes.

      The word calendar is derived from the Latin calendarium, meaning an interest or account book, and is related to the Latin word kalend, meaning “I cry!” (From The Origins of Our Modern Calendar by Linda Kerr). Debts were due and these books kept track of who paid and owed.

In fact, many of our words and systems are based on a time long past. Yes, these systems have been tweaked over the years to make them palatable by current standards, but at what cost? Are we being controlled by our quantification of time?

Are we being herded by an old clock and calendar in a way that actually is serving others, or maybe the powerful of today? Is our brain still calibrated to a time when information traveled by days and months, in a world of seconds and minutes today?


Are humans today being controlled subconsciously by an outdated clock and calendar system!!



“Be mindful of how you approach time. Watching the clock is not the same as watching the sunrise.” - Sophia Bedford-Pierce

Up until now, that is!?


A Chronology of Mechanical Horology


The Tyranny Of The Clock




                              Source



References
History of time keeping devices Wikipedia
Water Clock Wikipedia

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