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Of all the human constructs that exist, time is by far one of the most interesting ones ever created. At surface value, time is a tool used to measure our days; if you look beyond the surface, however, time is a reflection of some inner human desire to make sense of things. It is a common principle of science that the universe tends towards entropy. Why is it, then, that someone (Galileo, I’m looking at you) decided to create time? Time has different advantages (it certainly did long ago, otherwise why would there have been any desire to create it?), and to be fair, delays the inevitable event of our lives moving towards entropy. That being said, as I sit on the cusp of turning 21, my feelings towards time in the modern day become more and more mixed. On one hand, having a routine and a universal measurement makes communication easier, and creates some inner peace knowing that I can organize my daily tasks around this measurement tool. My issue with time, however, is that it starts to make us feel like there is never enough of it. And to be fair, there isn’t. We can never know (actually maybe I shouldn’t say never...) the specific time and date that our journey here on Earth will end. Nor can we ever know when the journey of our loved ones here on Earth will end. We plan our days, months, years (see, time words we take for granted) with the subconscious hope that we will live to see the future. Of course it should be this way-- we should always strive to keep hope alive. But the thing is, having this false sense of a (seemingly) infinite amount of time can lead to procrastination. We put off learning a new language because “there’s always next year”, we hesitate to ask our crush out because “I can always do it next week”. Time can be our friend, but can also do us a great disservice. We put aspects of life on hold because “there’s always tomorrow.” If you turn off your phone, shut down your laptop, and unplug every household clock (or item with a clock) for a month, what are you left with? Now. You’re left with the now, the present moment. All the thoughts that you have, all the things you want to do, those things still remain. Without a clock, you can’t set yourself a time that you’ll stop watching Netflix and get started on your project report. You’re no longer able to manage your tasks around the numbers on the clock, which is scary because let’s face it, the things you don’t really want to do (aka most school and work assignments) might probably end up unfinished because you have no real drive or motivation to complete them. Time gives us a (figuratively) tangible short-term finish line to work towards. I don’t have any science to back me up on this one, but I’m fairly certain that evolutionarily speaking, natural selection must’ve favoured the ability to meet deadlines. Without time, it becomes clear what we are naturally inclined to want to do-- aka, it becomes clear what things we see as chores, and what things we genuinely enjoy doing (the things we could get lost in, things that make us lose track of time).
No, I’m not writing this to go on a rant about time. I’m writing this because in the past year, I’ve experienced quite a bit of change. A lot of this change (in perspective) has to do with the loss of people who were once an active part of my life. While their physical presence is no more, the lessons that they’ve left behind will continue to impact my life. As a result, I have become more proactive. If I want to do something, instead of hesitating to ask for it or to go out and try and make it happen, I just do it. I say yes, and I do it. Even if there is a chance of failure, I still put myself out there anyways. Because what do I have to lose? It all ends, one day it all will come to an end. So might as well take all the chances that I can while I am still able to-- you never know just where things will lead to. Accepting the fact that tomorrow is never guaranteed can, in some ways, change the way you structure and live your life. I am now more inclined to cherish the present, and to “live in the moment” more, even when stress about deadlines is at the back of my mind. While I (and everyone else) still struggle a bit to find a balance between work and play, I now find myself less hesitant to agree to a spontaneous adventure, knowing that creating memories with people you love is far more valuable in the grand scheme of life. It’s true-- yesterday is history, today is a gift, tomorrow is a mystery. Understand this, and you’ll be able to lead a happier life.
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Here’s some stunning video of your immune cells doing their thing.
Every so often, your body’s own cells become dangerous to you. When that happens, cytotoxic T cells (also known as T killer cells) are your immune system’s way of dealing with the threat.
More often than not, they succeed in vanquishing cells that have become infected with viruses or mutated to the point of becoming cancerous before they can cause further trouble.
To accomplish this, they’re armed with a battery of chemical weapons and enzymes that they can use to cause target cells to burst open in the event known as lysis.
Examine the image captions for some more information on what you’re looking at in each one.
I produced these gifs from some of the latest microscope footage to come out of the National Institutes of Health. Check out the source of this post for some more detailed information and video. It’s pretty amazing how small these things are; ten of them could fit end-to-end across the tip of a human hair.
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Instead of saying “I don’t have time” try saying “it’s not a priority,” and see how that feels. Often, that’s a perfectly adequate explanation. I have time to iron my sheets, I just don’t want to. But other things are harder. Try it: “I’m not going to edit your résumé, sweetie, because it’s not a priority.” “I don’t go to the doctor because my health is not a priority.” If these phrases don’t sit well, that’s the point. Changing our language reminds us that time is a choice. If we don’t like how we’re spending an hour, we can choose differently.
Wall Street Journal (via rabbrakha)
Perfectly said
(via kcangelforever)
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nothing will ruin your 20s more than thinking you should have your life together already.
I need to write this on every wall of my room. (via thisyearsgirls)
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I’m almost never serious, and I’m always too serious. Too deep, too shallow. Too sensitive, too cold hearted. I’m like a collection of paradoxes.
Ferdinand de Saussure (via wordsnquotes)
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im ok w spending $40 on food but wont buy a $40 shirt
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“There are two basic motivating forces: fear and love. When we are afraid, we pull back from life. When we are in love, we open to all that life has to offer with passion, excitement, and acceptance. We need to learn to love ourselves first, in all our glory and our imperfections. If we cannot love ourselves, we cannot fully open to our ability to love others or our potential to create. Evolution and all hopes for a better world rest in the fearlessness and open-hearted vision of people who embrace life.”
John Lennon (via kushandwizdom)
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Do you think the universe fights for souls to be together? Some things are too strange and strong to be coincidences.
Emery Allen (via seulray)
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I haven't done this in a while, I'm severely out of touch when it comes to writing down what goes on in my head. Ever since the death, things haven't been quite the same inside of me. I didn't notice it at first, and then I did notice-- but didn't realize why. And then I realized why. I still can't comprehend why-- I know there's no "why", but none of it makes sense to me. From the aftermath comes the realizations, the lessons learned both directly and indirectly as a result of my relationship and memories with him. Unfortunately, I learned some things too late. And despite knowing what I know, I still keep doing the same things over and over again. Maybe there's something inside of me that's broken permanently? Or maybe it's that I've been paralyzed by fear for far too long that I don't even know how to go about fixing it. I feel out of touch with reality, I go through each day feeling like something is off, and I've come to the realization that the amount of times I genuinely laugh has severely decreased. The worst part? I didn't even realize it until now. Even worse? There's nothing that I can do to change it-- I think it is legitimately a part of growing up. All I know is that as of right now, I feel lost but I don't at the same time. It always comes down to this love business. One of the few things I can't control, one of the few things I can't "work at" to become better at it. Fuck
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I want to get more comfortable being uncomfortable. I want to get more confident being uncertain. I don’t want to shrink back just because something isn’t easy. I want to push back, and make more room in the area between I can’t and I can.
Kristin Armstrong (via yourhatemademe)
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“I have the choice of being constantly active and happy or introspectively passive and sad. Or I can go mad by ricocheting in between.”
Sylvia Plath
(via girlinlondon)
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