I think that roughly, we compare time as we experience it with time as we have experienced it.
So when I'm 10, another 5% of my life would be 6 months.
When I'm 50, 5% of my life would be 2½ years.
I suggest that 6 months when I'm 10 would feel roughly the same as 2½ years when I'm 50.
This would explain:
- why time seems to accelerate as we get older
- why we can't remember much about when we're very young
- why people tend to get more patient as they get older - the waiting time seems less
An interesting consequence is this. I'm 29. If I try and relate to an 18 year old (for example), from my point of view the age difference is 38% of my age. But from their point of view, the age difference is 61% of their age. Hence I'd think it was easier to relate to them, on average, than they would to me. This also fits with experience.
"Time is an illusion.
ReplyDeleteAnd lunch time doubly so."
Ford Prefect