Inspirations & Connections | I. Time
An early morning melody, back to basics, timeless pastimes, and hope for the future in this eulogy for time in all its forms.
Community, and creating a sense of community, is so important to me, and to the world. In the first of this new series, taking a particular theme, I want to share with you some of the inspirations, connections and other communities which have enriched my life, in the hope that they may do the same for you too.
We live in a connected world where community is no longer merely centred on a particular geographical area. Communities can exist anywhere, even crossing oceans and timezones. Yet, I’m convinced that despite this, we crave deeper connections with others more than ever before. The connections and communities I find, continue to enrich and encircle my life, and I hope they might inspire you too.
If, like me, you yearn to circumnavigate life rooted in the ebb and flow of the changing seasons, then you may be conscious too of changing times, of the sun rising and setting, of morning, evening, and of dusk. Each day is a season all of its own, every one just slightly different. There are times past, present and future, and with smartphones and smart watches, the passing of time tracks and haunts our every move.
This month I want to explore the theme of time. What can and appreciation of time offer us in our quest for a slower, simpler and more seasonal life?
I found myself listening to a new programme on BBC Radio 3 this month, Earlier…with Jools Holland. His guest was the Kent-based violinist and composer Anna Phoebe, and one of her choices was Meredith Monk’s ‘Early Morning Melody’, a piece new to me:
Monk wrote the music for a film, Book of Days, and in the programme, Phoebe quotes Monk, who, talking of the film said:
“It’s a film about time, originally drawing parallels between the Middle Ages, a time of war, plague, and fear of the apocalypse, with modern times of racial and religious conflict, the AIDS epidemic, and the fear of nuclear annihilation. While the film provides no answers, it nevertheless is a tribute to vision and the imagination, and a poetic incantation of that which connects us.”
The past has always interested me, because ultimately, the past has much to teach us. Whilst it provides warnings, many of which go unheeded in modern times, it also provides solace and reassurance. Somehow, throughout history, we’ve been here before, and each successive generation has had to learn to respond to the challenges of the times in which they live. Michael Wood in his BBC series, The Story of England, puts it so well, speaking of departure of the Romans from Britain:
“Britannia went back to basics. In history, it’s always surprising how swiftly the veneer of civilisation is lost, how knowledge is forgotten. Maybe this is what’ll happen when the petrol runs out?”
It’s easy to get despondent about the present time in which we live, just as our ancestors despaired about the times in which they lived. Yet, they and we have lived to tell the tale, just as those who come after us will tell their own tales.
We wouldn’t know so much about the times which came before us, if it wasn’t for the records which were written and kept for all manner of purposes. It’s only possible to know about our ancestors’ past lives because we have access to these sources, many of which are rich in detail. The written word has prevailed in one form or another, throughout history, yet not just in official records, but in the day-to-day papers of our ancestors. I wonder if, like us, you have boxes of letters and cards, maybe even diaries? Clementine and I saved all our engagement and wedding cards; mum has all the letters written whilst she was at boarding school; and elsewhere in the family, are letters penned some 300 years ago.
I am still a letter writer, and I hang on stubbornly to this act of putting pen to paper, stamp to envelope, and envelope to postbox. Stubborn as I am, it is somehow, a precious link to a time past, to past times.
, writing on her Substack publication, , captured this so beautifully in her recent post:
There is a certain nostalgia attached to the past, sometimes justified, just occasionally less so. Were the ‘good old days’ really that good? There are elements of the past I’m happy to leave behind, but many which I crave. If you’re in the UK, you may remember the shop, Past Times, in which many of us spent hours, pleasurably lapping up the objects and images of a time long gone. How we lamented it when it closed. The past has an inextricable hold on us all.
But in this exploration of time, we must remember that it’s not all about the past, for as you read this, the present is now the past, and the future already here. I know I’ve quoted these on Instagram before, but these words from Sydney Carter have always resonated:
“Time is a thing
Like a bird on the wing
Coming or going away.
Coming or gone,
You’re travelling on,
There’s nowhere you can stay.
Coming or gone,
You’re travelling on,
You’re always on the way.”
When thinking about time, we can get bound up in the past, but in our ever-flowing journey from birth to death, we can’t ignore the future. Someone posed the question the other day, 10 years ago, what advice would you give yourself now. It’s an interesting, but hard question to ponder. We don’t know what the future holds, so in many respects, what nugget of advice would have been useful to us without knowing what we know now? It can often feel like we’re merely stumbling around life, making the best of the decisions we make. Perhaps that’s not such a bad thing?
Whilst E. Nesbit’s Psammead periodically buries its head in the sand in frustration, as sand fairies often do, it offers an interesting perspective on life, and indeed, the future:
“When you want your heart's desire
and there is nothing but the fire
of a madly yearning wild imagination.
When all you have to do is choose
and if you don't, you're bound to loose,
something special in your life will pass you by.
Castles in the air or a chest of purest gold.
Cast aside despair, start a quest, before you're old.
Try wishing, a little harder everyday.
Wishing, to chase the clouds away.
In the twinkling of an eye,
you could grow tall or even fly.
You don't know until you try, so do!
And with the magic you will find,
dream your dream away!”
We’re unlikely to find a good chest or even a castle in the air, but perhaps there is some sage advice for the future here:
Dare to dream
Nourish your imagination
Grasp opportunities
Always be willing to try, and try your best
Time is precious
So, as time comes full circle, where the end is really the beginning, how can we align ourselves to meet the challenges of the future? In our technology-driven, modern world, I think the key to the future might, ironically, be found in getting back to basics.
We can dream of a different world, and that timeless quest to find it, can start today, with you, with me, and with those we hold close to us in our many and various communities.
We don’t know until we try, so do.
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This was so lovely, David. And thank you so much for shouting out my work! This is the first time someone has ever referenced my work on here so I'm absolutely thrilled 😊 I think returning to basics is how we will all find each other again amongst the chaos of our current world. I hope the people around us follow in our slow and simple footsteps – and perhaps write us a handwritten letter or two!
The past, present, and future each contain crucial elements to our grounding and alignment. I consider them as aspects we continue to work on balancing, not in equal measure, but in the specific needs for each moment, every breath.
My focus on curiosity is one that needs the lens of past, present, and future for most clarity. Your encouragement to get back to basics and to reconnect with the past is important and necessary. Thank you for bringing it to light, David. With that past, we can be better grounded to now, prepared for the future steps we take.