Actor Will Smith. Photo credit: Gage Skidmore
Two statements I've heard on podcasts over the past couple of weeks have stood out in my mind.
"Every four seconds, you create six new timelines." - Amy Spicer on Episode 209 of Paranormal Karen
"We're all texting while we're driving." - Royce Froehlich, Ph.D., on Episode 107 of Speaking of Jung.
TIMELINES
What Amy Spicer said in full was:
"It is the philosophy of Damanhur that every four seconds, you create six new timelines… If that's the case, then literally all things are possible for you at any moment. You just have to stop lying."
I don't know what's taught at Damanhur University, where Spicer is enrolled in classes, but this makes a lot of intuitive sense. In basketball, it's possible to catch an in-bounds pass and shoot with three-tenths of a second on the clock. Lives can change very, very quickly.
Likewise, thoughts often come whizzing through our heads at break-neck speed. There've been times on the subway platform where I thought I could jump in front of the train and no one could stop me, or I could push someone onto the tracks before anyone could react. I don't normally harbor suicidal or homicidal thoughts, and never acted on them. The follow-up thought was, "Of course I'd never do that." I wonder if those thoughts came as a reminder of how much control over my timeline - my future - that I really do have.
Much has been said and written about Will Smith slapping Chris Rock at the Oscars on March 27, 2022. When I saw it the following day, I couldn't help but think about what Spicer said. After Rock finishes his G.I. Jane joke, fifteen seconds elapse before he's struck by Smith. There may have been 22 timeline choices for Smith in that span. Most of them were in his mind, but four timelines were created in front of the audience and/or television viewers:
Smith laughed at Rock's joke.
Smith rose from his seat.
Smith walked onto the stage.
Smith slapped Rock.
None of these steps were inevitable or logically followed from the previous step. Almost everyone, especially Rock, expected Smith to make a witty comeback. Smith created a timeline for himself where his name may be more remembered for this infamous act than for his outstanding film performances.
In her conversation with Karen Rontowski, Spicer was speaking of timeline jumps such as deciding to quit smoking. Will Smith, however, showed us just how quickly we can change our future for the worse just by choosing to act on a brief moment of anger.
If you ever feel like hitting someone, don't. Just don't. But even if we're not physically violent, it would serve us well before we yell at a loved one or spew insults on social media to stop and think: "What timeline am I creating?"
TEXTING WHILE DRIVING
Royce Froehlich is a Jungian analyst and one of his patients told him: "We're all texting while we're driving." Nobody would defend texting while driving, nobody would say it's okay, yet so many people do it. Of course, a lot of people don't text while driving, but the patient used it as a metaphor in that, in Froehlich's words, "We're all just bonkers, doing all kinds of crazy things all the time." Citing Jung, Froehlich asks "What are we doing and why? … What pulls us, and why, and why this inability to temper it?"
Although I don't text and drive, I can relate. From certain food purchases to time spent on social media, to the thoughts I choose to think, I can examine portions of my life and wonder if this is helpful, or even enjoyable. Since I heard this episode, I've often realized how often I'm metaphorically texting while driving.
AWARENESS
The two concepts, timeline creation and "texting while driving," can reinforce each other in making one mindful of the present moment and the likely consequences of one's actions.
Going forward, this might be the way I think about the word "awareness" and practice it.
Ask what timeline I want to be on. For instance, do I want a life of health, abundance, and love?
Ask if my present thoughts and actions are creating that timeline or are at least consistent with it. Could they be creating illness, stagnation, or conflict instead?
It takes less than a second to think twice, to create a better timeline. To choose to act calmly instead of rashly. To choose to park before responding to a text. To choose to breathe instead of reacting emotionally, to choose to remain still instead of getting up to see what snacks are in the pantry.
Awareness can be with you instantly if you want it. And as Amy Spicer said, all things are possible for you at any moment.
James Leroy Wilson writes Daily Miracles, The Daily Bible Chapter, JL Cells, and The MVP Chase. Thanks for your subscriptions and support!
Good stuff.