This work is to suggest that now is not part of real time at all but a parasite upon time that can adversely and beneficially affect real time in relation to the earth.
The first point to make is that if now were a part of time there would be no time, for the notion of now brings with it a notion of stoppage, a moment, a moment that is less than a second - in fact so small that it is impossible to detect, but even so, no matter how small, if now were moments and moments depict some sort of staticity, compounding staticity would lead to a standstill of time.
The other notion we have of time is that it builds in a straight line, i.e. there is a past and a future pushed away in a straight line from a notional static point which is now. Our notion of time has been derived from sight, i.e. a straight line between earth and sun, depending on the notion that some kind of straight line manifestation between earth and sun exists, i.e. shadow. This shadow is supported by relative staticity of man and the movement of the earth in relation to the sun, and whenever or wherever the earth's path is interceded by sunlight/shadow is now; consequently there is a consistent model; no matter where the earth is, its distance from the sun is almost constant. However, all that is fine, but in reality straight lines are irrelevant in space and shadows are ephemeral, therefore the basis for the concept of now is irrelevant and ephemeral.
The only reality that we know is that there is a sun and that it is separated from the earth-by a distance, but that distance is only relevant in placing the earth so near/so far away that it can support life on earth, i.e. the realities.
The truth is that the only value is the earth keeping its distance so near/so far from the sun. As the earth moves at great pace around the sun we notion the time taken to make the cycle as one year; however the earth does not stop, of course: it keeps moving; this brings forward the notion that the one true measurement of time is based upon the earth's movement in relation to the sun and not on any intercepting notions between sun and earth.
It follows therefore that as the earth does not stop, real time only consists of future, future becoming past, and now is coincidental at the very point that the future is becoming the past, which commutes to only two real notions - future and past - on a permanent circulatory basis. The notion of now comes because it is on the earth and whenever and wherever that is now is imposed on real time, but because we feel a static relationship with the earth and that now represents our relationship with reality, we value now as the reality, rather than future and past and relate now to static rather than its true moving notion.
What is really happening is on a reverse notion to a record player; now is a moving notion but it is fixed to the earth (opposite to record player) whilst time is the opposite of a record - static - through which the earth passes.
We are faced then with the reality that real time only exists under the notion of a moving now; this places now as being on, rather than in real time and that real time only consists of future and past and that time is based on cycle. We have ideas of straight line for future and past whilst time is like a compounding cylinder.
When the truth emerges that future and past are the only true components of time, then they are all-important. We must also take the view that as the earth and its path must be considered infinite, so must future and past which are equally dependent upon each other. We must take the view that the notion of now is parasitic, being carried around upon the earth to coincide with the continual process of the future becoming the past, which leads on to the relative value of now. It is of great value to man otherwise he would not be aware of his existence and unable to relate to reality, i.e. the earth and other planets, but now it is not enough to relate the existence alone as real value in time, because to accept that future and past are dominating values rather than just memories or visions, is to face the holders of now value with great responsibility because if they upset the balanced relationship with future and past they will themselves as a matter of course become damaged. The title of this chapter, The Enhancement of Now, suggests that man overvalues now, which is not a real value in time; the effect will be to distort both future and past possibilities and in so doing any distortion will be catastrophic.
We have already had in the 20th century developments in science and power that enable us to inflate the value of now but what we must consider is what effect all this has on the future and past.
If we used something that should be pre-existence to simply enhance the value of now and it depreciates in value, we have taken from the future and are faced with never again full value; we are also faced with depreciated post existence. If we use something that should stay pre-existent to enhance the value of now and it appreciates, it is something of increasing value in past, future and now.
In order for man to justify taking what would otherwise exist in the future, then its value must appreciate so that the future is not continually being robbed.
The notion that today is all-important, the quicker t-he better, the more the merrier, upsets the cycle of reality. the inflation of the value of now, when now is not an in-time value but -only a relationship. It follows that if we were to keep taking from what should exist in the future and keep feeding the notion of now, eventually there would be nothing left of value to the future and consequently nothing in the past except memories.
Going back to the notion of time being based on the reality of circular constant activity and we base the value of it as being automatically something to enhance on a one-way proposition, we will at some point in the future become unstuck because "going for ever" now value will eventually lead to a future with nothing; "going for less" will have a propensity toward nothing with, however, the elemental capacity of ensuring that we do not become bankrupt. The overall answer to the problem is that we need a notion of "enough" with a propensity towards using less of the earth's finite resources with elemental usage aimed at appreciation rather than widespread depreciation.
It is quite clear from the above that man and now walk a tightrope between future and past. We just have to make sure that we do not fall off and become history, rather than enjoying our position over future become past.
The next chapter looks at time forces in relation to reality and compares them with the economic forces that we have created.
