this post was submitted on 04 Jul 2026
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[–] roofuskit@lemmy.world 85 points 20 hours ago (4 children)

I'll tell you the worst thing. Far worse than anyone else here can mention.

Time is constantly accelerating. When you are 5, the concept of a year is nearly an eternity. But your perception of time changes the older you get. Every year is shorter and shorter. Like you are on a constantly accelerating ship headed to the end of existence.

[–] Hossenfeffer@feddit.uk 3 points 2 hours ago

I thought about this recently. When you're 5, a year is 20% of your life. When you're 50, it's 2% of your life. Not surprising it goes quicker.

[–] drmoose@lemmy.world 6 points 9 hours ago (1 children)

I don't think that's true. Time is relative so it's only accelerating if you're in a comfy routine with fewer distinct points of reference. There's an easy fix for that.

[–] IndiBrony@lemmy.world 1 points 24 minutes ago

From my perspective, I believe it is true. I'm only late 30s, and I've been filling my time with more "firsts" than ever before, but I can't remember the last time I ever thought "damn, time is really dragging on today".

I've got a relatively new career; I've been trying my hand at politics (was just 150 votes from winning an election this year!); I've been getting involved with volunteer work; I've gotten involved in activism, going to protests, anti-racism rallies, removing stickers, posters and flags placed to cause division and hate; I've been bonding with the most beautiful parrot my fiancée and I rescued; I'm teaching my son to drive; - the list goes on. My schedule is pretty relaxed, but whenever I look at the time of day I think "hell, how did that all go so quick?".

I've been making a few mistakes just this week because my brain has refused to update the fact that we're 5 days into July already and we're no longer in mid June.

I dunno. Maybe it's time perception, maybe I have early onset Alzheimer's, or maybe I have early onset Alzheimer's.

[–] matthurtme@lemmy.world 0 points 5 hours ago (1 children)

Time is literally accelerating according to scientific studies as well.

[–] jnod4@lemmy.ca 1 points 2 hours ago

We're always moving through time capped at C minus velocity through space, so the only way that could accelerate is if we're slowing down moving through space?

[–] 2deck@lemmy.world 42 points 20 hours ago (2 children)

Keep doing new and novel things. It helps!

[–] phutatorius@lemmy.zip 1 points 26 minutes ago

Use it or lose it is true of the mind and the body. And it's better to burn out than to fade away (and no, I don't mean taking Kurt's way out).

[–] Oisteink@lemmy.world 18 points 18 hours ago (2 children)

Humans adapt. We have abysmal bandwidth, so we have adapted. If anything is normal you don’t notice. You reserve bandwidth for the unexpected. You already know how to react and what to do/feel regarding daily life.

Break rhythm

[–] phutatorius@lemmy.zip 1 points 25 minutes ago

Yeah, the nervous system works by detecting deltas. Gradual changes can sneak up on you.

[–] dnick@sh.itjust.works 14 points 14 hours ago (1 children)

Absolutely, you stop measuring the passage of time in days and years and start measuring it in experiences. When you're young and everything is new it's absolutely full. The 10th or hundredth time you've done something you handle it more easily but it also starts to seem like one 'thing'.

Routine is the quickest way to looking back on life and feeling like it was the blink of an eye.

[–] matthurtme@lemmy.world 2 points 5 hours ago (1 children)

People can't afford experiences anymore

[–] phutatorius@lemmy.zip 1 points 23 minutes ago

Most of my best experiences didn't cost anything except some time.