"Our perception of "time" is misleading. Five thousand years is not long .. and certainly not enough to allow for true changes in the way a man ... a-ah or fish, really, think. We think Five thousand years as 'old' only because our life-span seems so short. But look at some numbers:
"Take the last 1000 years ..."
He paused. I could see that he wanted to say something important.
Then Sam started again,
"All we are ... the countries we now live in; our national identities, our societies; all the wars; the technologies that we see everyday ... well ... all of these, gelled out within our last 1000 revolutions about the Sun ... No! That's wrong it is more like the last 500 revolutions around the Sun ... yes, the last 500 years is more like it."
"You see we typically think of time as running slow. But this is wrong ... it is a mistake we all make. You can see it by comparing a 1000 years to 1000 revolutions about the Sun. Do you see what I mean?
Sam knew that I really didn't understand. Numbers have always been my soft point.
"Let me try again." he said.
"Imagine 100 people - each living in sequence .. 50 years apart ... now they would span 5000 years."
"Hold on a minute," I said, "This is too quick for me."
Sam responded,
"Ok ... let's look at this a little closer."
I could see he knew I was trying.
We sat down on a bench in the middle of the Hall.
"Why 50 years?" He asked, retorically.
"First, it is a good round number to do mental calculations and it is reasonable to believe there have always been a significant cache of 50 year old elders available ... in every culture ... in every time period."
"Further, 50 years is long enough to acquire, select and pass on traditions from one generation to the next by people who have attained some degree of objective purpose and influence in their society."
Sam knew he had me.
"There is nothing mysterious here. These people teach, lead, own, sell, write, talk, plant, walk, touch, look ... and do what We have been doing for 5000 years. Some do more, some do less. Some influence few, some influence many. Some become Presidents and some become Mommies." A slight smile drifted across Sams lips. Evidently, some silent joke had crossed his mind.
I tried to join in,
"Ok! I accept a 50-year span for "a generation."
"But really, Sam, how does this help?" I asked.
Sam stretched his legs out from the bench.
"Of course," he said, "Let's say you represent the current 50 year span of history and your parents represented the previous fifty years of history ... Hmmmm ... together you both know a span of 100 years (or more) of events and traditions."
"Now let's extend this idea ... Hmmmm ... say your son will represents the next 50 years and your Grandma represents the previous-previous 50 years ... get it?."
It is obvious.
"My god, " I said,
"I am looking at four people in my life who represent a span of 200 years," and then I added, " ... and they all can be living concurrently."
And I realised that this was a 5th of "1000 times around the Sun."
Sam continued,
"Remember, the story you told me, in '45, just after you had gotten back from the war? There were four generations of family living in your Grandmama's house: Your Grandmama, your aunt, and your aunt's daughters who were then had become, 'war-brides'."
He paused,
"... and remember, those daughters both had "newly minted" war babies. So there you are. There is your four generations ... all living together. This is not uncommon. This is a big chunk of the 1000 years."
"You only need 4 more of these groups to span history from the dark barbaric ages to the present USA election."
I now understood his numbers ... but Sam also saw that I still didn't know what to make of his "time-argument."
But he wasn't stopping ...
Top ... or ... back to the ... Home .. or ... Announcement page