“Because time is not real, it cannot be saved. It also cannot be wasted. All we can do with the time before we succumb to entropy is to be. The secret to solving the problem of time is to be ever-present. “ Love it!
The owl image is amazing! Very cool the way you used the panels. Also, with the gap between the language, it feels like the owl has eaten something or created a time warp with syncopation in his flight.
Thanks! This was a last minute addition to the forthcoming zine. I felt this haiku was a perfect fit but could never figure out how to illustrate it until I had this image pop into my head this past week and decided to cut something else out instead.
Great post, Jason! Have you read Carlo Rovelli's *White Holes* yet? He's a master of explaining complexities with such clarity and love. A poetic scientist!
I am a Carlo Rovelli fanboy! I love "White Holes". One of the best days of my life was when I went to see Hamilton by myself in Portland, and made a day of it by bringing my copy of Rovelli's "Reality is Not What It Seems" and reading it around the city as I wandered. I ended up finishing the book at intermission.
That is the great paradox, right? Physicists may not need time for their equations, but I still am bounded by my finite capacity to do what I want. One of my great fantasies is to be able to freeze time so I can read and make stuff without being interrupted by obligations
Time is definitely one of those great paradoxes. Also, I can't wait to tell my boss, "I'm not late, as I'm obviously here right now present in time, which is the only time that you or I can actually count on."
This is my new favorite post and I love the line time cannot be wasted. It has special meaning for me because I was told so many times that I was wasting time when I did the things that fascinated me most : writing poetry, make paper collages, & obsess over words. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized they arise from a timeless part of me. Thanks, Jason, I greatly appreciate your posts!
Thank you! I have also been a told often that my creative efforts were a waste of time. I have now found the courage to understand that creating things is the way I show up in the world, It's how I can be present.
So true!! Making art is my way of being present too! I also like using art as a way of learning about the world. Your wonderful newsletter today recalls to my mind a book I'm currently reading "Time and the art of living" by Robert Grudin. I'm loving Grudin's way of writing almost poetically short essays about aspects of time and living. Thanks again for a great newsletter! 💚💚💚💚
Stunning post, Jason, all of it so expertly crafted: the haikus, the artwork and the prose. I also think that having the option of listening to you adds a great dimension to your art.
Thanks! The older I get, the more convinced I am that participating in the creation and enjoying of art holds all the answers to the questions we are afraid to ask.
Brilliant! I love the owl paintings. What would you call that, a multi-tych? What fun you must've had putting that together. Meanwhile, I spent a few hours yesterday with my grandson, who definitely lives in the Now! Each moment is an explosion of exploration. He runs joyfully from one toy adventure to another while I hobble behind him, trying to keep up so I don't miss a single moment of witness. Why do we lose that ability to embrace life and our surroundings with such ferocity? IDK, maybe because it's exhausting. But, my god, it's exhilerating and denies us the time to glance at a clock.
I'll vote for the latter. We become consumed by time constraints, the need to make and show up for appointments, jobs, even parties. The fluidity of life on a two-year-old's terms would create chaos in our structured society. Can you imagine a world running on toddler standard time? Oy!
It's fun to think of an owl on a steady diet of paradoxes or is it just the two doxes? Very thoughtful post and truly thought provoking- I am sitting here surrounded by your ideas.
Really enjoyed today’s post - art, haiku, and exposition. The contextualization of nostalgia and the words on our feeble attempts at time travel really spoke to me.
Thank you! I do have a hard time saying that I'm a poet out loud. It feels pretentious to me, and then I sometimes wonder if I'm really a poet or comic artists at all.
Wow! Just wow! Absolutely loved today’s post.
“Because time is not real, it cannot be saved. It also cannot be wasted. All we can do with the time before we succumb to entropy is to be. The secret to solving the problem of time is to be ever-present. “ Love it!
Thank you
Thanks! The hard part for me is living up to these words that I know are true
Here I thought “Time was on my side”.
Ha! Time waits for no man--or anyone else.
The owl image is amazing! Very cool the way you used the panels. Also, with the gap between the language, it feels like the owl has eaten something or created a time warp with syncopation in his flight.
A lovely read!
Thank you!
I agree - I was about to write that I loved the owl image but @drkathleenwaller articulated it so much better.
Thanks!
The owl art is incredible, and what a great haiku! 🦉
Thanks! This was a last minute addition to the forthcoming zine. I felt this haiku was a perfect fit but could never figure out how to illustrate it until I had this image pop into my head this past week and decided to cut something else out instead.
Great essay Jason, and great reminder. I love the view that we can’t waste time. 🕰️
I was seriously excited this morning because it meant your newsletter is back after the weekend!
Thank you! Mondays are always exciting for me too, knowing I get to see how people react to the newsletter.
Great post, Jason! Have you read Carlo Rovelli's *White Holes* yet? He's a master of explaining complexities with such clarity and love. A poetic scientist!
I am a Carlo Rovelli fanboy! I love "White Holes". One of the best days of my life was when I went to see Hamilton by myself in Portland, and made a day of it by bringing my copy of Rovelli's "Reality is Not What It Seems" and reading it around the city as I wandered. I ended up finishing the book at intermission.
What a perfect day!
I wish time truly didn’t exist (perhaps it doesn’t, which I’m cool with) as then I could sit around all day reading haiku!
That is the great paradox, right? Physicists may not need time for their equations, but I still am bounded by my finite capacity to do what I want. One of my great fantasies is to be able to freeze time so I can read and make stuff without being interrupted by obligations
Time is definitely one of those great paradoxes. Also, I can't wait to tell my boss, "I'm not late, as I'm obviously here right now present in time, which is the only time that you or I can actually count on."
This is my new favorite post and I love the line time cannot be wasted. It has special meaning for me because I was told so many times that I was wasting time when I did the things that fascinated me most : writing poetry, make paper collages, & obsess over words. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized they arise from a timeless part of me. Thanks, Jason, I greatly appreciate your posts!
Thank you! I have also been a told often that my creative efforts were a waste of time. I have now found the courage to understand that creating things is the way I show up in the world, It's how I can be present.
So true!! Making art is my way of being present too! I also like using art as a way of learning about the world. Your wonderful newsletter today recalls to my mind a book I'm currently reading "Time and the art of living" by Robert Grudin. I'm loving Grudin's way of writing almost poetically short essays about aspects of time and living. Thanks again for a great newsletter! 💚💚💚💚
Thanks for reading! That sounds like a great book, I'll check it out!
I can imagine that that you'll enjoy it and even laugh while reading 😊💚
Stunning post, Jason, all of it so expertly crafted: the haikus, the artwork and the prose. I also think that having the option of listening to you adds a great dimension to your art.
Thank you!
I enjoyed both haiku and your thoughts on time. I love the idea of art (in all forms) being an invitation to the present.
Thanks! The older I get, the more convinced I am that participating in the creation and enjoying of art holds all the answers to the questions we are afraid to ask.
I would 100% agree with this. Its like the answers are within us, but the only way we feel safe to see them, is through creative endeavours
Brilliant! I love the owl paintings. What would you call that, a multi-tych? What fun you must've had putting that together. Meanwhile, I spent a few hours yesterday with my grandson, who definitely lives in the Now! Each moment is an explosion of exploration. He runs joyfully from one toy adventure to another while I hobble behind him, trying to keep up so I don't miss a single moment of witness. Why do we lose that ability to embrace life and our surroundings with such ferocity? IDK, maybe because it's exhausting. But, my god, it's exhilerating and denies us the time to glance at a clock.
Thanks! I wonder how of the difference between kids and adults is maturity and how much is society grinding the wonder and joy out of us.
I'll vote for the latter. We become consumed by time constraints, the need to make and show up for appointments, jobs, even parties. The fluidity of life on a two-year-old's terms would create chaos in our structured society. Can you imagine a world running on toddler standard time? Oy!
Ha! There would be a lot of joy in that chaos though
An excellent post
I feel present and awake
Cheers to you for NOW
Comment in haiku?
With kind and clever wordplay?
Thanks for taking time!
But you do inspire
With your creative genius
Art, haiku and thoughts
It's fun to think of an owl on a steady diet of paradoxes or is it just the two doxes? Very thoughtful post and truly thought provoking- I am sitting here surrounded by your ideas.
Ha! I think the owl eats slews of doxes, two at a time. Thanks for reading!
Really enjoyed today’s post - art, haiku, and exposition. The contextualization of nostalgia and the words on our feeble attempts at time travel really spoke to me.
Thank you!
Jason, you are an inspiration!
Time's illusion, swift—
Unsaved, unwasted, just be,
Solve time: be present.
Nostalgia's false past,
Anxiety for naught—
Exist, now is vast.
In presence we thrive,
Past and future, mere shadows—
Now is where we're alive.
I love this haiku chain. It’s a beautiful summary of what I was going for!
Thank you Jason. Kind words always appreciated.
This post was just absolutely amazing! This post helped me think through some of my own knotty time-questions.
Thanks! Thinking about time does tend to create thought knots
Thank you! I do have a hard time saying that I'm a poet out loud. It feels pretentious to me, and then I sometimes wonder if I'm really a poet or comic artists at all.