Everything happens simultaneously.

I first encountered this belief when I read Isabel Allende’s The Japanese Lover and The House of the Spirits. It’s a recurring theme on both books. At first, I had a different understanding of the concept. It was comforting for me though. I mean, when you think about it, it’s nice to believe that there’s a version of me who’s completely happy. That she already exists while I’m still stuck in limbo. That she’s thriving somewhere while I’m here patiently waiting.

A friend of mine begged to differ. Coz if it’s true that everything happens simultaneously, then it’s also possible that what’s happening to me isn’t good. That probably, instead of me being happy, she’s more miserable than I am. That maybe if I feel stuck right now, she’s in a situation that’s totally impossible to escape from. Or let’s say that she’s indeed in a better position. But then again, it’s still not my reality. So how can I be happy for something that’s not even here yet?

Despite the difference in opinion, I still find the concept comforting. I find time totally interesting (and incomprehensible too). Coz when I think of the concept, I see a linear line with images of different versions of me (the past, the present, the future) all happening simultaneously. It’s how I pictured it and how I comprehended it. That in the grand scheme of the universe, there is no past, present, and future coz everything happens simultaneously.

Then just today, I watched the two Doraemon movies on Netflix (Stand by Me Doraemon and Stand by Me Doraemon 2). And I arrived with a different perspective on how to comprehend the concept. I realized that perhaps, it doesn’t mean that the past, the present, and the future is in a linear line all happening at the same time. It probably means that the choices you create in the present, pave way for the future, thus, making things happen simultaneously.

For instance, when Nobita was too adamant to stay lazy and unmotivated, his future was bleak. But when Doraemon came and made him realize that he needed to change his ways (and he did), his future became promising. Nobita was able to shape it the way he wanted to. So I guess that’s what the concept truly means. That it’s not some out-of-this-world time loop (or probably it also is), but something that is within our power, within our accountability, within our control (at least, most of it).

In one way or another, despite a different understanding, I still find the concept comforting. Coz isn’t it good to know that we have a say in what the future holds? That we’re not entirely powerless? That we have what it takes to create the future we’ve always dreamed of having. So, yeah, I guess I’ll continue to embrace the concept. How about you? What’s your understanding of the concept? Do you find it comforting?