Category: Experience

Why Does Time Seem To Move Faster As We Grow Older?

As we age, time seems to speed up. A month might seem a long time to a child, but a short window to an adult. Why?

I distinctly remember events in my childhood taking a long time. A year between birthdays, for example, seemed to stretch on and on. Starting a new school year was significant, because each school year seemed to last a remarkably long time.

In contrast, as an adult things happen quickly. It seems like you barely change your clocks and then it is time to change them again. Birthdays start to merge in your memory. Even things that take years, like the Olympics, seem like little more than the blink of an eye.

The amount of time passing, of course, doesn’t change. A year consists of the same amount of time when you are five as when you are 50. However, the way we experience that year is quite different.

Is it the fact that there are more demands on your time as an adult? We need to do more, and we never seem to have enough time. That might make each day (and week, and month, and so on) fly by.

Does it have to do with how close you are to the end of your life? After all, A journey of a thousand miles might seem much shorter when there are only 10 miles left to go.

Does it have to do with novelty? As a child, nearly every experience is brand new. But when we get older, we settle in to a routine. The brain seems to process new experiences in a different way than something we have done over and over.

Or is it a combination of all these things, or something else altogether?

Do you agree that time seems to move faster the older we get? Why do you think it might be so?

Related questions: What is time? Do you have unstructured time? What would you do if you had more time? What do you spend too much time doing?

How Do You Bridge A Divide?

As our society becomes more polarized, finding common ground can be difficult. For two people bitterly divided, how can they bridge the gap between them?

At times, it can feel like there is more dividing us than there is uniting us. Whether it is politics, religion, gender, age, income, skin color, or any number of other differences, the distance between two people can seem like a chasm.

And yet, there is a need for two people to bridge that distance and talk, no matter how far apart they might be. Doing so might be necessary to build a working relationship at a job. It might mean a harmonious atmosphere at a family dinner table. It may even lead to a political committee with adversaries accomplishing meaningful change.

Of course, finding common ground is easier said than done. What are the elements necessary for two people who disagree, perhaps even strongly, to build a bridge between their two viewpoints? Particularly if the environment they are in encourages or rewards polarization and divisiveness?

How do you bridge a divide between two people who are far apart in several different ways, and have little in common? After all, each one of us may find ourselves in such a situation.

Related questions: How can we encourage meaningful conversation? What is necessary to change your mind? How can you love someone who does something you hate? Why are we so divided?

What Is The Most Interesting Thing About You?

Everybody has many things that are interesting about them. Of all of them, which one is most interesting about you?

It can be fun to think of all the various ways you are interesting. It might be an event that happened in your past, a physical characteristic, or even something about the people you know. Some people have an unusual name, a funny story about how they met their partner, or maybe they can do a “stupid human trick”.

There are many, many ways of being interesting.

Related: Listen to an episode of the Intellectual Roundtable Podcast, where Lee and Michael discuss this question: ‘What makes you you?’ We also discuss another question as well, ‘What gives a person value?’

Of course, the types of things that one finds interesting varies from person to person, so what may be interesting to one may not be interesting to another.

With that in mind, what is interesting about you? Do you think that other people can appreciate the ways in which you think you are unusual, or different, or funny? In general, do you think that other people find you interesting in the same way you find yourself interesting?

Related questions: What makes a person interesting? Who are your most interesting friends? What makes you you? What unusual habit do you have?

 

What Makes A Perfect Day?

If you can imagine in your mind a perfect day, what exactly would that mean? What are the necessary ingredients?

There are many things that can make a day nice, or pleasant, or even pretty great.

Maybe you wake up feeling particularly refreshed. Or the weather has lots of sun (or even rain, if that is what you prefer). Perhaps you get some good news, or some bit of luck comes your way.

However, what would make a day perfect? What are the components that would need to occur for a day to achieve that lofty adjective?

Related: Listen to an episode of the Intellectual Roundtable Podcast, where Lee and Michael discuss this question: ‘What is one thing you feel the need to do every day?’ We also discuss another question as well, ‘What is truth?’

Or is it the case that we don’t really know what goes into a really wonderful day? Can a day be full of surprises, and be perfect — or at least, fantastic — because of it?

Time spent with loved ones, lovely weather, doing a beloved hobby, helping someone in need, an extra hour in the day — what makes a perfect day?

Related questions: What could you do to gain an hour each day? What was your best day? What do you do with a day off work? Perfect or good enough?