The Eternity of Now—To Be is to Act

Transcend the illusion of time and find freedom in the eternity of now.

This is about "time"—as discussed in Physics and Psychology, specifically, how we perceive time and the fabrication of our life's meaning.

We will not attempt to establish the meaning of life or the science of time. These highly complex topics have only provided insights into the particular concern of this essay. We will focus on modelling a practical philosophy for achieving clarity, presence, and progress in a world often distracted by time.

I have been fascinated with time, from children's abstract and perhaps meaningless perception of it to the reflective embodiment of the elderly. My 4-year-old niece believed she could be 10 years old in two weeks, and my grandma, before her death, thought she was back in the village where she grew up. In many ways, these two acted in accordance with their interpretation of time. Likewise, many studies suggest an interplay between our perception of time and how we interact with the world. But what is time?

What is Time?

Time is often defined through the perspectives of past, present, and future—boundaries that frame life's meaning, whether mundane or transcendental. When we think of our lives, it is within a timeframe. Maybe the childhood holiday memories of sweets and gambol, the youthful years of experimentation and exuberance, a peek into old age and the possibilities of eventual success or failure, the nothingness, hell or heaven of the afterlife, or a combination. The past, present, and future constrain our thoughts about life. It is the frame in which our thoughts are formed, real or imagined.

The Persistence of Memory (1931) by Salvador Dalí. Collection of The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), New York. Image via MoMA: The Persistence of Memory.

This essay proposes a practical framework for the Eternity of Now while balancing existing theories. Built on the simple concepts of being (awareness) and purposeful action, our framework aims to minimise the burdens of past and future anxieties, celebrate small wins towards a goal, purpose over urgency, etc.

Theoretical Frameworks

From ancient clockmakers and philosophers to modern-day scientists and technological breakthroughs—vital to understanding ourselves and our interaction with the world, time has remained essential. Our interaction with time and understanding of the world raises the question of how we perceive time. Theoretical frameworks of Psychologists like Zimbardo and Boyd extensively examine how much our perception of time influences our lives and even the "destinies of nations." With the derived types:

1. Past-negative: these people hold on to and are driven by past negative experiences.

2. Past-Positive: the tendency to be focused on past positive experiences.

3. Present-hedonistic: these people are pleasure-seeking and driven by a desire for immediate gratification.

4. Present-fatalistic: an attitude of "what will be will be" (que será). These people accept fate as inevitable, seeing the present as a prison they have no control over.

5. Future-oriented: These people set goals, create structures, and plan, driven primarily by a sense of the future.

Zimbardo/Boyd defined an optimal profile for time perspective as being moderately high in past-positive, moderately high in future, and moderate in present-hedonism. This is critical because imbalances in time perspective can lead to psychological distress, while a balanced perspective fosters well-being. For example, your time perspective can be excessively past, present, or future-driven. The second paradox of the Zimbardo/Boyd framework emphasises that too much focus (possibly obsessive) on the past, present, or future can be costly.

While Zimbardo/Boyd focus on how time perspectives influence psychology, Bergson expands this understanding by differentiating measurable/clock time (*temps*) and our lived experience of time (*durée*). Zimbardo/Boyd's time perspectives exist within the subjective experience of Bergson's concept of lived time (durée), reinforcing how subjective experience shapes our perception of time. Yet, most of us still structure life around the rigid 24-hour clock. Temps is our attempt to impose structure and meaning on the flow of events using tools such as calendars and clocks, enabling coordination. These schedules are similar worldwide. It tells us when to open for business, perform school runs, schedule meetings, walk the dog, or allocate resources. Schedules are undoubtedly important.

While important, restricting our lives within clock time limits our perception of existence. Yes, coordinating around clock time is necessary. Still, it is essential to understand that outside the realms of this superficial and human-engineered structure called clock time, "time does not exist." It is our subjective sense of time that matters. If clock time is a tool, and we don't experience time as a series of measured moments, how do we interact with time? This is where the German Philosopher Heidegger's insights become valuable. Heidegger suggests time is not an abstract container but something intrinsically tied to being. Rather than treating time as an objective measure, he suggests that our time experience emerges from our awareness of existence. This implies that our sense of time is not governed by the ticking of a clock but by our perception of reality, actions, and purpose. This idea is foundational to the Eternity of Now: the present moment is not fleeting but an ongoing process of being and action.

From Theory to Practice: The Foundation of Eternity of Now

These insights from philosophy and psychology provide a foundation for rethinking our relationship with time. This leads us to the practical framework of the Eternity of Now, a model that blends awareness with action.

I realised profoundly that I should live unconstrained by clock time. After all, it is a tool and contract for coordination. For example, the earth's axial tilt leads to polar day and night in some regions. Without darkness (nighttime), it may become clearer that clock time is really for schedules and coordination. Like every tool, clock time should be used for your benefit rather than limiting your possibilities.

Of equal importance are our attitudes towards the temporal perspectives of the past, present, and future. We must learn to embrace life in the moment. I have been taught to optimise for the future and have always been future-driven. I would love to live certain moments better than I did, not in the sense of regret but as a way to have better future outcomes. I have learned to take moments in the day to stop, breathe, and intentionally appreciate my presence, which has helped to counter future-driven anxieties.

Being and Now

In this reflection, being and action emerged to define my new model around temporal attitude—a bias for action while in the moment. I do not mean this as a sybaritic pursuit or, as Zimbardo/Boyd describes it, present-hedonistic. With a bias for being and action, we live in the moments, yet prescient.

Athletes in a flow state, musicians lost in performance, or programmers in deep work—these moments demonstrate "being and action" without clock time dictating their experience. Time fades, and all that remains is engagement in the act itself. The Eternity of Now similarly reframes the fleeting nature of the present as an eternal truth accessible through mindful engagement. Now becomes our actual reality, the only true and eternal time. Providentially, the eternity of now recognises that each moment of being and now ripples forward to shape the best version of our future.

Why Eternity of Now?

Why is eternity of now essential, and why should it work? It builds on the foundation of ancient philosophies, research and experience. Our interpretation of the world is mainly subjective. Therefore, we must shift our attitudes in ways that reduce the burden of memories and anxieties from the probabilities of the future through being & action—now. The eternity of now acknowledges:

1. Existence as Being and Action: by saying there is no time, only being and action, we have emphasised that life unfolds not in measured increments but in the continuous interplay of presence (being) and purposeful motion (action).

2. Presence over Projection: dismantles the tendency to live in the past or future—both constructs of the mind. Instead, it calls for rooting oneself in the immediacy of being and expressing this state through action.

3. Action as Authenticity: being and action place emphasis on living authentically. Action isn't just physics or reactive, but the conscious, intentional response to existence. In the interplay between being (awareness) and action (thoughtful engagement), we find life's truest meaning.

   Yesterday is but a dream, and tomorrow is only a vision, but today well lived makes every yesterday a dream of happiness and every tomorrow a vision of hope—Sanskrit proverb.

Practical Framework

You do not manage time—you engage with existence through motion and awareness. Every moment is timeless when it is fully experienced. Here is a proposed guide for making now a yesterday worth dreaming about and tomorrow a worthy vision.

1. Eliminate Weights of the Future-Past: Instead of scheduling your day around the clock, begin your day around the moment.

   1. Actionable: Instead of asking, "What time should I do this?" ask, "What action naturally follows from my current state?" (e.g. "I am focused -> I write," rather than "I must write at 8 AM.")

   2. Purpose: This conditions your mind to detach from riding timelines and embrace the flow.

2. Anchor in the Immediate Context: Do not measure time in minutes—measure it in states of being.

   1. Actionable: Instead of saying, "I will finish this task in one hour," say, "I will engage in deep work until I sense a natural shift in energy or purpose."

   2. Purpose: This dissolves the anxiety of "not having enough time" and helps align internal rhythm with external action.

3. Move with Purpose, Not Urgency: Every action should be intentional, not reactive.

   1. Actionable: Before taking action, ask: "Is this moving me toward my essence, or is it just filling time?"

   2. Purpose: This prevents habitual, meaningless business and prioritises authentic existence.

4. Unify Action with Awareness: Action is not separate from presence; acting is being aware of action as it happens.

   1. Actionable: Perform one task fully immersed—not tracking how long it takes, but experiencing every sensation of doing it. For example, when reading, don't check the time; when coding, don't track hours—be in the act itself.

   2. Purpose: This breaks the illusion that time is slipping away.

5. Dissolve the Barrier Between "Now" and "Becoming": The future is not a distant point but a continuous flow from the now.

   1. Actionable: Instead of thinking in goals, think in directions—move toward what calls you without needing to be a fixed point. For example, I don't need to set a deadline to become a better engineer; every day I engage in this process, I already am.

   2. Purpose: This shifts your perspective from destination-driven to motion-driven, aligning with the belief that time is for the taking.

Balancing Existing Theories

1. Time Perspective: The Eternity of Now does not reject future thinking but views the future not as an external force but as an emergent reality shaped by present actions. For example, there's meaning beyond the present—in adversity, long-term sacrifice, or delayed gratification by living in such a way that future meaning is continuously shaped by present engagement.

2. Clock time: Eternity of Now is a mental model and not a rigid rule to be followed blindly. External structures (deadlines, responsibilities) exist, but one's subjective experience remains in the present. Hence, clock time remains essential for managing interpersonal schedules. For example, a factory worker, emergency responder, or parent of a newborn cannot entirely ignore clock time and external constraints. Eternity of Now reorients how we experience it.

3. There's no time, only being and action: It is philosophically provocative but scientifically inaccurate. Time exists physically (spacetime, entropy, relativity) even if it is subjectively experienced differently. Yet, its significance is shaped by perception and action.

Conclusion

The Eternity of Now is not about rejecting time but redefining it—proposing a perspective that clarifies our sense of time, being present, and making progress in the world through being and action. In this new timeless reality, action defines time. Without motion or action, time becomes meaningless. Between these unending schedules, pause once daily to ask, “What matters now?" The answer to that question is where your time truly begins—a revelation that time is there for the taking and, hence, for the making of our lives.