is time real? what is time?
“the instant does not have time; and time is made from the movement of the instant.”
— leonardo da vinci
i'm so fascinated by how leonardo perceives time, which is like a bridge connects series of discrete moments — instants that, when linked, create the illusion of time passing. each moment is an "arrested instant" broken down by motion.
he is an observer, i mean truly observes. his eyes were like cameras, freezing moments and instantaneously sending them to his brain to analyze. this ability to freeze time is evident in his art. think of the flowing robes in the last supper or the delicate, almost imperceptible smile of the mona lisa. these are not just static images but representations of life caught in a single, perfect instant.
“the point has no length or width. yet if it moves, it creates a line. ‘the point has no dimensions; the line is the transit of a point.’”
Mona Lisa, leonardo da vinci
i’ve been trying to improve my ability to explain and understand abstract concepts by analogy, and i find inspiration in both richard feynman and leonardo. take leonardo’s observation about rivers: “in rivers, the water that you touch is the last of what has passed, and the first of that which comes. so with time present.” this metaphor beautifully captures the present moment, like water in a river — constantly flowing, never the same, yet always connected. it’s a fleeting point in time, bridging the past and the future, a reminder of life’s impermanence and continuity.
“observe the light... blink your eye and look at it again. that which you see was not there at first, and that which was there is no more.”
what is time?
is it real?
reference:
isaacson, w. (2017). leonardo da vinci. simon & schuster.
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