Time is perceived differently depending upon what you’re doing, where you live, and at what stage of life you’re at. Animals are not aware of time, but if they live among humans, it has an impact on them.

The clock begins ticking when we’re born and stops when we die. A human life is short and intense. No sooner have we begun, that it’s time to head for the exit. However, because we pack so many things in one lifetime, it seems much longer than it really is.

There are so many things one can say about time (excluding its scientific aspects) all I can do is express some of my thoughts. But let’s not stop the clock at the end of my article. Feel free to discuss some of your thoughts.

How we perceive and handle time will be influenced by our personality. Some people are great managers of their time, others run in hot pursuit after the hours of the day, and never quite accomplish what they set out to do.

We have all met, worked, or perchance lived with a person who always seems to be sitting on hot coals. Everything and everybody moves in slow motion in his world. We refer to such a person as the type A personality. At the opposite end is the person who walks through life in measured steps. Hers is not a relaxed life; she experiences endless frustrations since she is always behind in her work. Finally, there is an in-between type, the type B personality. She appreciates the limitations time imposes upon all of us. More gets accomplished in her kingdom because calm reigns.

Circumstances, especially culture, will determine how we view time. When I lived in Egypt the pace of life was slow. When I came to Canada 42 years ago, I did find that life was too hurried for my taste. It’s much worse today. Israel, where I lived for 7 years, falls in between. People work hard, have a reasonable standard of living, but haven’t lost the pure unadulterated joy one should derive from everyday life.

In the wild, animals will carry their daily activities when the sun rises and go to sleep at sunset; or vice-versa if they are nocturnal. They will mate, have their offsprings and care for them, in the right season.

Animals living among humans can adapt to the rhythm of human life. The ones that couldn’t were never domesticated in the first place. A dog as a pet will take naps during the day, and will be ready to exercise vigorously when its master takes it out. It has that uncanny ability to know when it’s time to go out, and if need be, will bring the leash to its forgetful master. A police dog on the other hand has a job. It works hard during the day and sleeps at night. If necessary, it can be wakened up from its sleep and will be ready to go.

For some 19 years, we had a lovebird, Squeaky. Squeaky adapted to the daily routine of our family. It napped during the day, and by 4:00, when the children came back from school, it was ready to play with them. It stayed up till 10:00. Even at this very late hour, it protested vigorously when we put it to sleep.

Sleep, marvelous as it is, comes at a price. It consumes one-third of our life. Being short on time, modern humans are tempted to cheat. They reduce the time spent sleeping. Preparing for exams, finishing an important project at work, or spending sleepless nights with a newborn are all valid reasons for cutting down on sleep – for now. But it’s like a debt. Indeed, it’s called a sleep debt. You need to repay it, i.e. sleep longer on some days. It’s not clear what happens when, over time, this debt (or part thereof) is not repaid. The connection between lack of sleep and a health problem(s) is not easy to make.

I was seven years old. It was the first day of school. The teacher introduced herself and then went to the blackboard and wrote the date. The year is what attracted my attention, really mesmerized me. Something clicked in my mind, this was the year we were at; in a way, the first tangible year in my life. Previous years simply did not exist; there are a few events that I remember, but I cannot tie them to years. That incident stayed in my mind and, years later, I recounted it to my son. Lo and behold! Seven was also the age when he became aware of the passing time. What about you, did your life also start at seven?

From 7 until 20 we are in a hurry to grow up, to become adults, to test our wonderful theories, to change the world. So far so good, for indeed every new generation brings new ideas that create progress.

At 20 something changes. This young woman is all of a sudden aware that she is entering the third decade of her life. Growing up is not what it’s cracked up to be. She becomes aware that the world is challenging her ideas. This started in her teens, but she ignored it and forged ahead anyway. Now, she is more mature and is paying attention. There are other problems as well. The unlined face of her teen years is beginning to show the lines of time. Oh, not to worry, very, very few lines.

Then comes 30. There are more visible signs. Energy suddenly is a finite resource. We can no longer work all day, go to sleep at 4:00 A.M., and be ready to face another day. And do this day after day until we collapse from exhaustion and sleep 14 hours straight. Life has so many constraints; we laugh at the grandiose ideas we harbored during our twenties. Physically, the lines are more visible and more numerous, not to mention the waistline! However, the howling wolf is still far away; we can hear it but we need not concern ourselves with it.

For a long time, before modern medicine added so many years to our lives, 40 was the age when we had to face our own mortality. This is no longer the case. Life expectancy being what it is, at 40, generally speaking, we are half-way through. However, the wolf is getting closer, but is not yet at the door. In our forties, we have a lot of responsibilities: our children are growing; our work, if we have suitably progressed, is getting more demanding; our spouse may be fighting his/her own demons, and that will have an impact on the family. But the news is not all bad. We are more mature in our forties, more accepting of other people’s shortcomings. We are still youthful; we can still catch the eye of the members of the opposite sex. At 50, depending upon individual circumstances, things can get even better. We begin to look at the world with new eyes. “Now I understand,” crosses our minds more often.

Education means that we take better care of ourselves, listen to the dictates of modern medicine, and live a longer and healthier life. Of course, this is not a blanket statement. There are still many individuals who abuse their bodies. They burn the candle at both ends and may not live to see 60. Individually, none of us do all the right things all the time. We are humans after all. What I trying to say here is that the line which marks old age is blurred. Is it 60? 70? 80 no doubt, but there are exceptions. Nevertheless, and this brings me to my next topic, beginning at 60 the wolf is already at the door. We can no longer ignore our own mortality.

1903 – 2005. The lifespan of my wife’s aunt, Paula. Before I went to visit her for the first time, my future wife warned me that aunt Paula was a force of nature and was always dispensing advice which was presented as the definitive word on the subject! Little did I know when I first met her in 1966 that she would be with us for some 40 more years. For a long time we waited for aunt Paula to mellow, be more accepting. We waited in vain. Very reluctantly, at 101, she consented to go into a nursing home. And you know what, we loved the fact that she never took a backseat to anybody. When my son called me in March 2005 to tell me that aunt Paula has passed away in her sleep, I was shocked. All the members of my family were equally saddened. How long did we expected her to live?

I like to think that we all come into this world, and are alloted “a slice of time” to use as we see fit.

This slice could be 1798 – 1860 or 2005 – . It doesn’t matter that the first individual did not live in the advanced (both socially and technologically) society the latter individual will enjoy. They both get a slice of life. They will live it according to their personality, but within the constraints of their time and place. The first one accepted his world as it was. He did not know that 8 generations down the road his descendants will send their mail by clicking on an icon on their computers. He relied on the Pony Express and didn’t mind that his letter went through many riders and horses before it arrived at its destination. Then again, will the 2005 baby be allowed to grow old? With the way we treat our planet, this is not a certainty.

If you’ve taken the time to follow me so far, please walk with me a bit further for I have a message of hope.

As far as I can remember, I have always believed in God. For me, it was never a matter of “maybe,” “but,” “what if,” or “prove to me.” My belief in a Creator has always been as natural as breathing.

The main problem humans have in their relationship with God is that they try to figure out His nature. How could there be a Being that always existed, and will continue to exist for all eternity? Why did He decide to create the universe and all that’s in it? What was there before? Why does He functions through 3 different personalities rather than one? (This belief is shared by all, or most, Christian denominations; the mystical part of the Jewish religion, i.e. the Kaballah; and perhaps other religions.) These are all futile questions. The human mind cannot encompass the vastness of the universe; how then can it understand the Creator of this same universe?

This does not mean that God is impossibly remote from us. If we cannot understand His nature, we at least know His attributes. God is loving; compassionate; caring; merciful; generous; always, always, ready to forgive; and many, many other attributes. A fragment of God indwells the human mind. I know without a doubt that He walks with me at all time. He consoles me when I am in pain, and shares my joy when I am happy.

The second article is the subject of my discussion. I will get to it in a moment.

The third article is something I have complete faith in, understand intellectually but would otherwise find it difficult to write about it. But I am not giving up!

In my first book, Anguish!, I devoted an entire chapter on the subject of survival (I use this term since, as I will argue later on, after the demise of the physical body, we as a personality continue to exist). My chapter on survival is over 20 pages. Therefore, I can only include the salient points.

My wife, Norma, has always been fascinated by the subject of survival. She bought, and borrowed from the library, numerous books on this topic. She insisted that I read some of them and wanted to discuss their contents with me. But she was largely ignored.

One day, she borrowed from the library a book written by a well-known parapsychologist. We were lucky to have come across this book, for it presented the case for survival in a very logical manner. Norma read it first and insisted that I read it after her. I did not put any real resistance since by then I was 42 years old and was more than a little concerned about my own mortality.

This book was a revelation. I read it in record time and reread many of its parts again. I then discussed it with Norma, and gave a lot of thought to what I had read. I realized for the first time that survival was a possibility. After all the trials and tribulations of our life, we were destined to go to a better place.

One book, needless to say, was not going to convince me. But it proved to be a starting point. I was on a quest and I was determined not to rest until I found a satisfactory answer.

Over the next 5 years, I read many books on the subject and very carefully considered the evidence. There was no way out of it. Survival, at least for me, has been proven beyond the shadow of a doubt!

The quest to prove survival has been going on for thousands of years. It became more structured towards the end of the 19th century. The work done to prove survival, and other areas of the paranormal, became known as psychical research.

It would be beyond the scope of this article to go into the details of psychical research. Numerous books have been written on this topic; the interested reader can refer to them.

Once I had satisfied myself that sufficient evidence for survival existed, my next question was what comes after that.

Numerous accounts existed on the next world in the books I had read. The Urantia book goes in exquisite details on what they call the Mansion World.

Before I go any further, some comments are in order.

First of all, communicators from this next world faces a very difficult task when they describe their world. Because it is so utterly different and so removed from our own experience, they can only give us a vague notion as to what to expect when our time come.

Death does not bring any magical changes. When you wake up in the next world, you will find you are the exact same person you were when you dwelt in the flesh. The only difference is that you will have a different body. Your qualities and imperfections will still be there. Your knowledge will not be augmented just because you have left your physical body. Any changes will have to come through your own efforts.

The next world is not a vague and ethereal place. It is a solid piece of real estate. Some communicators have used the world sphere to describe this world.

The most important point to remember is that you do not see God right after you die. This would be utterly impossible. God – the ultimate spirit – is the most infinite mind in the universe. The human being – an intelligent animal – is the most finite mind in the universe. Humans cannot meet their maker until they have closed this immense gap.

There are no adequate words in our language to describe the beauty of the place you will see in the next world. You will be overwhelmed by the incredible brilliance of the light and by the splendor of gardens filled with an infinite number of trees, shrubs, and flowers. You will feel surrounded by love and you will experience an incredible sense of peace and happiness. Your biggest joy, at the beginning, will be your reunion with your loved ones who had preceded you in this world.

At the beginning, you are given time to adjust to your surroundings and to reflect on your life.

You will not, however, just sit and enjoy your surroundings. To do nothing for all eternity would be the worst hell imaginable. While nobody will ever force you, you will be expected when you are ready to begin your development. There will be a lot of learning to absorb, and a lot of work to do. You will be guided by numerous beings. With love and understanding, they will assist you along the way.

What you learn and what work is expected of you I do not know. There is a reference to glorious challenges and very stimulating work.

At the beginning, having still some animal vestiges left, you will not do what is expected of you in a completely voluntary manner. But there will come a time when you will want to learn and will want to work. Human imperfections such as laziness, procrastination, and irresponsibility would have died forever. You are becoming a beautiful being, the beast in you is dying, the spirit is coming to the fore.

The concept of time is different over there, thus communicators never report to us how long it takes, on the average, to reach a certain stage.

But it is not all work and no play. There is time for leisure. There are plays, music, dance, and art. You are also given time to simply relax and reflect. This curse of earthly life, loneliness, doesn’t exist there. But if you so desire, you are left alone.

The first world you go to is certainly not the last. A time will come when you will graduate from this world and go on to a more advanced and more beautiful world. You continue to advance to worlds which are getting increasingly more advanced and more beautiful.

There will come a time when you have developed to the point where you have enough understanding of the nature of God. Only then can you stand in front of HIM and recognize HIM. And what a glorious moment this will be for both the Creator and you!

Returning to your Creator does not mean that you disappear as an entity. You continue to exist and to develop.

When you came into the universe, you have in effect started a sublime adventure. This adventure goes on forever!

I close this section with a beautiful passage from the Urantia book:

You humans have begun an endless unfolding of an almost infinite panorama, a limitless expanding of never-ending, ever-widening spheres of opportunity for exhilarating service, matchless adventure, sublime uncertainty, and boundless attainment. When the clouds gather overhead, your faith should accept the fact of the presence of the indwelling Adjuster, and thus you should be able to look beyond the mists of mortal uncertainty into the clear shining of the sun of eternal righteousness on the beckoning heights of the mansion worlds of Satania.

Consider the following:

1) Life expectancy in Canada is now 81.

2) From 0 to 24 is used to grow up, learn from our parents, and get an education.  Since a university education is a necessity for many of us, and since many professions require two degrees (examples Law and Medicine), we can begin to work (i.e. contribute to society) around 24.

3) When we take into account sleep, 1/3 of that time has not been consumed to carry out the aforementioned activities, so really we only spend 16 years.

4) Assuming an individual retires at 65, he will have 16 (81 – 65) unproductive years!  Again, taking into account that he will sleep for 1/3 of that time, we now have 11 years.

5) I left the best for last.  We spend 1/3 of our life sleeping!  We have now used another 27 years. (81/3).  (Note that I took sleep into account in 3) and 4) above to avoid double counting).

[Really, the "inefficient" part of our lives is well utilized.  Sleep is an important biological process.  We have to grow up, and for humans it's a long process.  We need an education; and the more educated we are the more we can contribute to society.  Finally, few of us are really unproductive in our old years.]

6)  The total time when we are unable to contribute to society can now be calculated:  16 (per 3) above) + 11 per 4)) + 27 ( per 5)) = 54!

7) Productive years:  81 -54 = 27.  Our efficiency %:  27/81 = 33 or only 1/3 of our lives!

So how do we accomplish so much?  Through sheer number; there are over 30 million inhabitants in Canada.