-But rational thoughts lead only to rational thoughts, whereas irrational thoughts lead to new experiences.
Alan LightmanRead
Suppose time is a circle, bending back on itself. The world repeats itself, precisely, endlessly.
Interpretation
Time may not be linear, and events may recur in cycles instead of progressing in a straight line.
This quote suggests a philosophical perspective on time, where it is perceived as circular rather than linear. It proposes that events and experiences may repeat themselves infinitely, emphasizing the cyclical nature of existence and the possibility of eternal recurrence, prompting reflection on the implications of our actions and experiences throughout life.
In practice
In a philosophical discussion about the nature of time.
-But rational thoughts lead only to rational thoughts, whereas irrational thoughts lead to new experiences.
In this world, there are two times. There is mechanical time and there is body time. The first is as rigid and metallic as a massive pendulum of iron that swings back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. The second squirms and wriggles like a bluefish in a bay. The first is unyielding, predetermined. The second makes up its mind as it goes along.
And at the place where time stands still, one sees lovers kissing in the shadows of buildings, in a frozen embrace that will never let go. The loved one will never take his arms from where they are now, will never give back the bracelet of memories, will never journey afar from his lover, will never place himself in danger of self-sacrifice, will never fail to show his love, will never become jealous, will never fall in love with someone else, will never lose the passion of this instant of time.
In a world without future, each moment is the end of the world.
Who would fare better in this world of fitful time? Those who have seen the future and live only one life? Or those who have not seen the future and wait to live life? Or those who deny the future and live two lives?
The tragedy of this world is that everyone is alone. For a life in the past cannot be shared with the present.
The historian must have some conception of how men who are not historians behave. Otherwise he will move in a world of the dead. He can only gain that conception through personal experience, and he can only use his personal experiences when he is a genius.
On this thin, scarcely real and yet so perceptible sensation the whole world hung as on a faintly trembling axis, and this in turn rested on the two people in the room.
The trouble with our Liberal friends is not that they're ignorant; it's just that they know so much that isn't so.
The poor have sometimes objected to being governed badly; the rich have always objected to being governed at all.
Every inhabitant of this planet must contemplate the day when this planet may no longer be habitable .. The weapons of war must be abolished before they abolish us.
It is funny, but it strikes me that a person without anecdotes that they nurse while they live, and that survive them, are more likely to be utterly lost not only to history but the family following them. Of course this is the fate of most souls, reducing entire lives, no matter how vivid and wonderful, to those sad black names on withering family trees, with half a date dangling after and a question mark.
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