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Thread started 04/09/16 9:50am

TrivialPursuit

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"Time Is A Trick" - The Pontificating Prince

Back in (if memory serves) the Rave era, Prince was on a "time is a trick" kick. Probably still is, to some extent. I think he also mentioned something similar in the Larry King interview in mid-December.

I saw this quote today and it made me think of Prince's diatribes on that subject, plus a bit of his "The One" speech (which frankly does have a lot of truth in it).

"Time doesn't exist. Clocks exist. Time is just an agreed upon construct. We have taken distance (one rotation of the earth and one orbit around the sun), divided it up into segments, then given those segment labels. While it has its uses, we have been programmed to live our lives by this construct as if it were real. We have confused our shared construct with something that is tangible and thus have become its slave."

I wonder how many folks see the fallicy of time in general. Do you think Prince is onto something more significant, or the whole idea is just hot air?

(PS Mods: not sure if this is the right section of the forum; pls move if necessary.)

"eye don’t really care so much what people say about me because it is a reflection of who they r."
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Reply #1 posted 04/09/16 10:07am

luv2tha99s

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I think he's on to something. Life IS kind of like the Matrix. The 1% of the 1% are the machines. To me, time is just another system of control. What's with a 5 day work week? Couldn't we get all work done in four days so we could always have a three day weekend? Why stop there? How bout a five day weekend and a two day work week? It's all in place to keep the masses quiet and docile. Food for thought.
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Reply #2 posted 04/09/16 10:22am

prittypriss

He is definitely on to something with this. He is absolutely right, in fact. Back when man first began, we didn't have clocks or know time. We celebrated the seasons based on observation, not a stringent timeline. We based time on the height of the sun from the horizon. We rose with the sun and started our work day, we slept when the sun went down. Now, our work day is so regimented that we are a slave to time. We must be at work by 8 AM (or 9) and our work day ends at 5 PM (typical work flow day). We must eat at prescribed times. We set alarm clocks to tell us when to wake. Time itself, is an illusion, an illusion we've created and have become mired in, so that we are now a slave to that very illusion.

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Reply #3 posted 04/09/16 10:50am

Dilan

prittypriss said:

He is definitely on to something with this. He is absolutely right, in fact. Back when man first began, we didn't have clocks or know time. We celebrated the seasons based on observation, not a stringent timeline. We based time on the height of the sun from the horizon. We rose with the sun and started our work day, we slept when the sun went down. Now, our work day is so regimented that we are a slave to time. We must be at work by 8 AM (or 9) and our work day ends at 5 PM (typical work flow day). We must eat at prescribed times. We set alarm clocks to tell us when to wake. Time itself, is an illusion, an illusion we've created and have become mired in, so that we are now a slave to that very illusion.

we just now have a way of measuring time.. if time didn't exist people wouldnt age

I'm feeling a bit fammy™
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Reply #4 posted 04/09/16 10:59am

prittypriss

Dilan said:

prittypriss said:

He is definitely on to something with this. He is absolutely right, in fact. Back when man first began, we didn't have clocks or know time. We celebrated the seasons based on observation, not a stringent timeline. We based time on the height of the sun from the horizon. We rose with the sun and started our work day, we slept when the sun went down. Now, our work day is so regimented that we are a slave to time. We must be at work by 8 AM (or 9) and our work day ends at 5 PM (typical work flow day). We must eat at prescribed times. We set alarm clocks to tell us when to wake. Time itself, is an illusion, an illusion we've created and have become mired in, so that we are now a slave to that very illusion.

we just now have a way of measuring time.. if time didn't exist people wouldnt age

.

Why associate "time" with "age"? Also, what is age? Age is merely the number of cycles one has circled the sun. We see time as a linear construct. We imagine us moving from point A to point B to point C. However, life is more cyclical.

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Reply #5 posted 04/09/16 11:32am

klick2me

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I remember Kurt Loder cornered him about the subject of time during an interview. Prince was at a lose for words but then later on he posted a comment on his site better explaining him self about the point he was trying to make. I felt bad for P. I agree with him to a certain degree when ever he speaks on the subject.
klick
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Reply #6 posted 04/09/16 11:32am

Superfan1984

I have always thought time was an illusion. As for people aging, yes we age but people are always telling me I look younger now in my thirties than I did in early twenties and I think it's true because, I don't think of my age. I am the age I feel and I feel young. I expect to feel young in my forties, fifties, sixties. I won't let it become a self fulfillng prophecy that because I'm getting older I need to act a certain way or stop doing certain things. Time does move on though. If it didn't we could live forever and obviously, we can't. It all comes to a head some point. So in that regard, there IS such a thing as time.
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Reply #7 posted 04/09/16 12:15pm

thisisreece

TrivialPursuit said:

Back in (if memory serves) the Rave era, Prince was on a "time is a trick" kick. Probably still is, to some extent. I think he also mentioned something similar in the Larry King interview in mid-December.

I saw this quote today and it made me think of Prince's diatribes on that subject, plus a bit of his "The One" speech (which frankly does have a lot of truth in it).

"Time doesn't exist. Clocks exist. Time is just an agreed upon construct. We have taken distance (one rotation of the earth and one orbit around the sun), divided it up into segments, then given those segment labels. While it has its uses, we have been programmed to live our lives by this construct as if it were real. We have confused our shared construct with something that is tangible and thus have become its slave."

I wonder how many folks see the fallicy of time in general. Do you think Prince is onto something more significant, or the whole idea is just hot air?

(PS Mods: not sure if this is the right section of the forum; pls move if necessary.)

Where did Prince say this?

Hundalasiliah!
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Reply #8 posted 04/09/16 2:00pm

Aerogram

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Time waits for no one, but half the time, we are better off giving the finger to the old concept of time and what it means to be this young or this old.

I am now middle aged and have friends as young as 22 and as old as 94 years old. Some of my young friends are far more rigid than some of my not so young friends. A few of my senior friends drop "at my age" several times a day and are "acting older" as a result, and others about the same age act like they are in their thirties or forties, they wouldn't be caught dead stating their age to forego a new experience. They're the ones that are having the fun.

There's no law that says you have to fit the stereotypes associated with your age.

And if there was, you'd be wise to break it all the time, whatever your age is.

Time is real but age stereotypes make it a trick. You don't have to look at its passage with a chronometer. Do what you feel like doing, and forget about time unless you're always late for your appointments.

[Edited 4/9/16 14:02pm]

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Reply #9 posted 04/09/16 3:01pm

TrivialPursuit

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thisisreece said:

TrivialPursuit said:

Back in (if memory serves) the Rave era, Prince was on a "time is a trick" kick. Probably still is, to some extent. I think he also mentioned something similar in the Larry King interview in mid-December.

I saw this quote today and it made me think of Prince's diatribes on that subject, plus a bit of his "The One" speech (which frankly does have a lot of truth in it).

"Time doesn't exist. Clocks exist. Time is just an agreed upon construct. We have taken distance (one rotation of the earth and one orbit around the sun), divided it up into segments, then given those segment labels. While it has its uses, we have been programmed to live our lives by this construct as if it were real. We have confused our shared construct with something that is tangible and thus have become its slave."

I wonder how many folks see the fallicy of time in general. Do you think Prince is onto something more significant, or the whole idea is just hot air?

(PS Mods: not sure if this is the right section of the forum; pls move if necessary.)

Where did Prince say this?

Prince said "time is a trick" in the Rave Un2 The Year 2000 DVD. He then asked "How many birthdays did you have? One." He also talked, in the Larry King interview that year, about not paying attention to time or schedules, because it ages you to celebrate birthdays.

"eye don’t really care so much what people say about me because it is a reflection of who they r."
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Reply #10 posted 04/09/16 3:53pm

Dilan

prittypriss said:

Dilan said:

we just now have a way of measuring time.. if time didn't exist people wouldnt age

.

Why associate "time" with "age"? Also, what is age? Age is merely the number of cycles one has circled the sun. We see time as a linear construct. We imagine us moving from point A to point B to point C. However, life is more cyclical.

because the definition is "

  1. he indefinite continued progress of existence and events in the past, present, and future regarded as a whole.
    "travel through space and time"
  2. 2.
    a point of time as measured in hours and minutes past midnight or noon."

as either of these two things progress we wrinkle so it is associated with age. whats the point in calling time a trick? Its used for its convenience, you can pretend it doesn't exist but what difference will it make to your life? you'll still wrinkle and wither away like everyone else

I'm feeling a bit fammy™
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Reply #11 posted 04/09/16 5:41pm

Superfan1984

If there were no time we would not exist.
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Reply #12 posted 04/10/16 10:02am

steakfinger

Mystical horse shit. The great thing about reality is it's true even if you don't believe it.

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Reply #13 posted 04/10/16 11:36am

TrevorAyer

It's all right now ... Everything is now .. Aging has more to do with working your body to death and eating garbage than revolutions around the sun
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Reply #14 posted 04/10/16 12:48pm

nayroo2002

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Yeah, time is a trick, depending on your point of view, i presume.

Getting '1999' on record and hearing it for the first time was, like, 1000 years ago.

Seeing my first aftershow in 1997, Oklahoma City with Steakfinger seems like last week.

Watching kids grow up makes it all go by too fast.

Being too late or too early for an appointment pisses some people off.

I just want to know who came up with those names for days, cuz Sunday ain't always sunny.

Prost!

"Whatever skin we're in
we all need 2 b friends"
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Reply #15 posted 04/10/16 2:35pm

214

We are sort of slaves of time.

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Reply #16 posted 04/10/16 4:17pm

Aerogram

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By the way, the pontificating one is the guy that lectures the other guy so he gets back to the straignt and narrow.

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Reply #17 posted 04/10/16 5:46pm

TrivialPursuit

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Superfan1984 said:

If there were no time we would not exist.

Um.... you might still be plugged into the matrix.

"eye don’t really care so much what people say about me because it is a reflection of who they r."
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Reply #18 posted 04/10/16 5:48pm

TrivialPursuit

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Aerogram said:

Time is real but age stereotypes make it a trick. Do what you feel like doing, and forget about time unless you're always late for your appointments.

[Edited 4/9/16 14:02pm]

Funny, and elements of the truth.

"eye don’t really care so much what people say about me because it is a reflection of who they r."
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Reply #19 posted 04/11/16 6:59am

jaawwnn

There's a sophisticated argument to be had about about this kind of thing but it's definitely not the one Prince makes.

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Reply #20 posted 04/11/16 12:11pm

Bohemian67

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Well. Time is definitely a trick if you think like I sometimes do, about how 30 years just flew by in a flash; or as you age, where each year starts feeling like 4 months.

.

However, this is an interesting article by Forbes, mentioning the same argument 'Time is a trick2 by a French professor from Marseilles who links it to quantum physics.

.

http://www.forbes.com/2008/02/28/time-illusion-perception-oped-time08-cx_ll_0229illusion.html

.

As far as 'you're as old as you think you are' there is some truth in this and others have mentioned this already. However, it has nothing to do with how we physically age. This is mostly determined by genes and biology. In the end we all die, thank goodness, as our bodies give up like over-tired machines. The mind however, as long as dementia doesn't set in, seems to remain at our 'favourite age'. Something like 35. When we still had all our looks and energy yet a mature intellect, reached hopefully by then. My two cents.

"Free URself, B the best that U can B, 3rd Apartment from the Sun, nothing left to fear" Prince Rogers Nelson - Forever in my Life -
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Reply #21 posted 04/11/16 12:38pm

steakfinger

nayroo2002 said:

Yeah, time is a trick, depending on your point of view, i presume.

Getting '1999' on record and hearing it for the first time was, like, 1000 years ago.

Seeing my first aftershow in 1997, Oklahoma City with Steakfinger seems like last week.

Watching kids grow up makes it all go by too fast.

Being too late or too early for an appointment pisses some people off.

I just want to know who came up with those names for days, cuz Sunday ain't always sunny.

Prost!

I miss jamming with you, man. You still got that Warwick?

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Reply #22 posted 04/11/16 12:48pm

prittypriss

One way to look at it is that Now is the only time it can be, this present moment. Everything from the past is merely a thought, everything about the future is merely a thought. You can only exist right here, right now. That's why time is a trick, non-existent. We've developed a tool we use to measure out those thoughts (the past and future), but everything that occurs, happens right now.

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Reply #23 posted 04/11/16 12:49pm

214

Bohemian67 said:

Well. Time is definitely a trick if you think like I sometimes do, about how 30 years just flew by in a flash; or as you age, where each year starts feeling like 4 months.

.

However, this is an interesting article by Forbes, mentioning the same argument 'Time is a trick2 by a French professor from Marseilles who links it to quantum physics.

.

http://www.forbes.com/2008/02/28/time-illusion-perception-oped-time08-cx_ll_0229illusion.html

.

As far as 'you're as old as you think you are' there is some truth in this and others have mentioned this already. However, it has nothing to do with how we physically age. This is mostly determined by genes and biology. In the end we all die, thank goodness, as our bodies give up like over-tired machines. The mind however, as long as dementia doesn't set in, seems to remain at our 'favourite age'. Something like 35. When we still had all our looks and energy yet a mature intellect, reached hopefully by then. My two cents.

It's a very thoughtful article, thanks.

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Reply #24 posted 04/11/16 3:12pm

TrivialPursuit

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Bohemian67 said:

However, this is an interesting article by Forbes, mentioning the same argument 'Time is a trick2 by a French professor from Marseilles who links it to quantum physics.

.

http://www.forbes.com/2008/02/28/time-illusion-perception-oped-time08-cx_ll_0229illusion.html

I like that article.

"eye don’t really care so much what people say about me because it is a reflection of who they r."
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Reply #25 posted 04/11/16 9:28pm

deepabove

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time is always a matter of perception. Think about how as a child excited about some big event, that event never gets there fast enough. As an adult, years fly by.

Quantum mechanics theories also explain time like a bb spiraling through a tube or straw.. it doesn't move in linear fashion.

open yo mind, the entire universe you'll find
~love
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Reply #26 posted 04/11/16 9:32pm

deepabove

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ps.. it wasn't pontificating, it was sharing an observation. really dug it when that was the vibe on his sites. and it's cool when people use the attention they gain to share knowledge or ideas and help wake others who are on the verge of waking up too. there's others out there doing it.. look around smile

[Edited 4/11/16 21:47pm]

open yo mind, the entire universe you'll find
~love
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Reply #27 posted 04/12/16 6:06am

Pentacle


A year is 12 months, whether it goes by in a flash or at a Detroit crawl.

It's not rocket science, people.

And where do the names of months and days come from?

Did nobody here go to school?

Stop the Prince Apologists ™
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Reply #28 posted 04/12/16 6:14am

2020

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Yes absolutely Prince is right! Time is a trick and age ain't nuthin but a number
The greatest live performer of our times was is and always will be Prince.

Remember there is only one destination and that place is U
All of it. Everything. Is U.
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Reply #29 posted 04/12/16 6:18am

Pentacle

2020 said:

Yes absolutely Prince is right! Time is a trick and age ain't nuthin but a number


Really? Maybe you should change your org-name then.

Stop the Prince Apologists ™
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