Got a Second?

[Billy Britt]

Happy New Year!Congratulations! You and I have been given an extra second of time. Yes, indeed, a leap second was added to atomic clocks worldwide at 23:59:60 at Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) on December 31, 2008. This is the 24th leap second to be added since the first leap second was added in 1972.The reason for this addition is to keep the worldwide atomic clocks synchronized with the Earth’s rotation because the Earth rotates at a slower pace over time while the atomic clocks do not slow down. Therefore, the leap second adjusts the clocks to ensure that civil time (clock time) is as close as possible to mean solar time.Of course, this does not really mean that we have gained a second more to live; it just means that navigation is more accurate. This accuracy matters greatly if you need to fly the Alps in an airplane with no windows or if you need to drop a bomb squarely on the forehead of your enemy.However, time is a curious thing, philosophers and scientist have given great effort and thought to exactly what is time. Yet, with all their preponderance, time is ever so elusive as there are many types of time.Human time—in other words— the moment in time we have to live and experience seems to be not only relative to events but also to the intellect of the individual who perceive its value. Why does time fly when we are having fun and pass so slowly when we are suffering a sickness?Perception and participation, no?All of life’s moments pour from the same cup yet we experience them differently.Many years ago, I had a teacher who chastised a tardy student by calling him a robber. The reason he used the term was because the boy has stolen time away from us by being late to class. The teacher explained that everyone has a limited amount of time and when one wastes another’s time he is thief of a precious gift.Sometimes I think the beginning of wisdom may be the realization that we are only here on earth for a limited time. When we begin to see that what we do in the unforgiving moment or in a joyous season is what matters most we then start to not waste our opportunities.Even the way we talk about time is telling, we spend time but we also kill time. We pass time and yet we keep time. However, when we act as if there is a “time for every propose,” then we come nearer divine time.As we say goodbye to 2008 and hello to 2009 we are faced with what is lost and what is gained. We may well remember a saying from the poem De rosis nascentibus, “Non-collige virgo rosas,” (“Gather, girl, the roses.”). Knowing that while our time is finite we still can seize each moment. So, my friend what will you do with your new second?

[Billy Britt]

Ah, I had forgotten about Corps Time. As always I agree with you and James.