How I Came to Understand Einstein’s Theory of Relativity Looking Out the Window of a Train
Source: Sonya Borovaya (Pexels)
Well, sort of….
I had been reading about Einstein’s Theory of Relativity, Quantum Mechanics, String Theory, Heidegger’s Uncertainty Principle. It was all fascinating but hard to relate to in human terms.
One particular idea was that time slowed as one approached the speed of light, and at the speed of light there was no passage of time. I didn’t understand the scientific equations, or really how it applied to my own life … until one day:
A cloudy morning in the Fall. The dull light matched my mood.
I was on a train, heading into work, feeling vaguely depressed. Life was not going the way I had planned. There were financial pressures, relationship issues, I was stuck in a menial job. A general malaise prevailed.
The train stopped beside a small stream and we just sat, and sat, and sat.
Great, I thought. I was not looking forward to going to work. Now I would face the added pressure of being late.
Peering out the window, I watched the water rush past. It was carrying tens, hundreds, thousands of fallen leaves downstream. As they passed me by, the thought occurred that this was my life. I was stuck and everyone was moving forward, passing me by, leaving me behind.
Leaf, after leaf, after leaf. I was such a loser.
And then the train began to move. Soon it matched the speed of the water. Suddenly, as if by magic, the onrushing water stopped. We were moving in tandem. The leaves were frozen in place, like a snapshot. No longer were they people getting ahead, but companions. I had a life. I belonged. We were together.
And then the train accelerated, faster and faster, and now it was me, myself, and I who was speeding ahead. Individual leaves lost their individuality and became a tapestry of leaves, faster and faster, a blur, a stream, a universe.
All of life apprehended in one breath.
There was no time. Just …
…is…
And then I knew.
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