Out of time (final)

What is it, to be out of time? For many, it is to run against time to get a deadline accomplished. But for others it is, in very real sense, to be completely removed from the normal flow of time, such as incapacitation.

To go by the legally written Oxford Dictionary definition, out of time means to be removed from “the system of those sequential relations that any event has to any other, as past, present, or future; indefinite and continuous duration regarded as that in which events succeed one another”(dictionary.com). Or, to “run” against the natural flow of a short period of perception.

Me, I think that definition does not fully impart what it means to be out of time. To be out of time, in most cases, is to run against the clock to finish something, or to be in the final stages of one's life when you know that the inevitable is only around the corner. Another way of seeing it is to be completely removed from the flow of time itself. Mostly, it is those sedated patients who know no time, or those that are dead that experience this form of being removed from time.

Throughout history, one recurring theme has been restated in almost every religion on the planet. And that is the idea of “limbo,” a spiritual/metaphysical realm where pain, pleasure, time, and even existence do not take form. It is a place removed from the natural, or unnatural, order of the universe as we see it today. Another name for the realm is Purgatory, the underworld in many mythologies, such as the Roman Pantheon, the Viking Asgard, and the western Christian Faith.

One example of a person being “out of time” was that of Nicola Tesla. He was a man that had exemplary visions for the future. Many of which were not suited to the relatively old thinkings of the people that lived when he did. The man also had another experience in being removed from time. As he aged, he began losing cohesion with how time ran and eventually went mad; by the general consensus of the time. Also, much of his later, unfinished works were seized by the United States government before anyone else could lay their eyes on his “masterpieces.”

So, it is not hard to imagine me saying that I had a relative that recently passed away that was also ripped out of time. The person was my grandfather, an intellectual introvert at the best of times. He didn't say much, but he did express his ideas in the form of blueprints and painting. Alas, it was not to last, for he was diagnosed with cancer. The doctors had to administer medication that after removing his pain, had also removed his conscious mind from the order of time. At least I can say he died in a genuinely peaceful fashion by simply falling asleep, to dream the dreams where time is irrelevant and unnecessary.

The only other “times” that I personally have come across being removed from time, is that my family genes make it hard for me to age at the same rate as most others. Also, in meditation and in normal life, my mind leaves the confines of my body and searches itself without the hassle of worrying about time.

How does one deal with being, “out of time?”

Bibliography
"1Time." Def. 7. Webster's New Explorer Dictionary and Thesaurus. 2005. Print.
"Limbo - definition of limbo by the Free Online Dictionary, Thesaurus and Encyclopedia." Dictionary,
Encyclopedia and Thesaurus - The Free Dictionary. Web. 26 Feb. 2010. .
"Out of time Define Out of time at Dictionary.com." Dictionary.com Find the Meanings and Definitions of Words at Dictionary.com. Web. 26 Feb. 2010. .
"Out of time." Online Dictionary: definitions by WordNet, Webster's, etc. Web. 26 Feb. 2010. .
"Phase Define Phase at Dictionary.com." Dictionary.com Find the Meanings and Definitions of Words at Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com. Web. 25 Feb. 2010. .
"What is Nikola Tesla? Definition from WhatIs.com." Computer Glossary, Computer Terms - Technology Definitions and Cheat Sheets from WhatIs.com - The Tech Dictionary and IT Encyclopedia. Web. 26 Feb. 2010. .
"What is time?" WHAT IS TIME. Web. 25 Feb. 2010. .