When you look at stars, do you see the past?
No. Here’s why. When distances are far away, you don’t see reflected light. You can only see the light source. The light isn’t an image of objects; the only information you get is the color of the light and its intensity.
You don’t see the planets in a galaxy; you see the light coming from the stars that are in the universe.
You can estimate how far a light source is by its intensity and frequency and convert that information to say how far away the stars are using the speed of light.
But you aren’t looking back in time. You are seeing the light as it arrives in your eyes in the present moment of the universe.
If you use measurements of distance as time, it's wrong. I know we all do it when we travel. Converting a distance into time is possible if you already know the distance you want to travel.
The speed of light measures distances, not time, and a cesium clock measures a frequency, not time.
You can use the speed of light to convert a distance into time if you measure the distance first.
A lightyear is the distance light travels in one year. We simply ignore the distance and use the time as the distance by saying it's 5 lightyears away.
Einstein made the mistake of using the speed of light to measure time, or he thought that no one would know the difference because if A=B, then B=A.
The Speed of Light Makes a Difference
Are you looking back in time when you look at the stars? It doesn’t make sense because the past doesn't exist.
You can’t measure time, and the past and future are time-based ideas. Time doesn't exist at the large scale of the universe.
Time happens to you in your present moment as you experience it.
When you look at the sunlight, are you seeing the Sun as it was 8 minutes ago?
When you look at the stars, are you seeing millions of years into the past?
If you say yes then you agree with Einstein’s relativity that time is relative to your point of reference.
The Dueling Astronomers
Imagine an astronomer looking at a star one million light-years away, thinking he is seeing one million years into the past.
Now imagine an astronomer on a planet near that faraway star looking at our Sun (star). Does he think he is seeing one million years into the past?
How can they both be looking at each other in the past?
The answer is that the past doesn’t exist, and not only that, but even time doesn’t exist.
The universe only has one present moment of existence. You experience events only at this moment.
The two astronomers are looking toward each other at the same moment (time).
We have been fooled into thinking that time exists and makes things happen.
The reality is that the motion of atoms and molecules creates the motion that we measure with clocks.
Then we convert the numbers to an amount of time. Time only exists on clocks and in our thoughts.
I hate to blame Einstein for our stupidity, but after we understand what time is and isn’t, we can say even Einstein didn't understand time.
I know… it’s difficult to stop thinking about time and instead think about motion.
It looks like we must use clocks and live by the time that clocks show. But we can be wise and know that everything is happening simultaneously.
Don’t confuse yourself with Einstein’s time dilation, which is just a fault of physical clocks.
Remember that time or time dilation has no power whatsoever to change anything. Let's, be more brilliant than Einstein.
We could blame Einstein or the media, but let’s continue to be mindful and wiser with our thoughts.
When we see the sunrise, we know the Earth is spinning; when we look at the stars, we know they are shining on us as we are shining on them.
Book Report News
My book will be published this month, and you will find many examples of how we have been thinking the wrong way.
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