Memory: The Illusion Of Time

The 'past' has already happened. That's self-defining. This 'past' no longer exists and could only be transient. Even transience cannot adequately define 'past'. A raindrop that hits the ground is destroyed in a 'transient' 'past' moment. So brief. Capturing on film records the event that can only be replayed, but never actually happen again. A photograph of someone who has died only records the moment when the photograph was taken. That moment has instantly gone. The person remains dead and the 'past' has gone. Forever.

The 'past' can no longer exist, but the illusion that it does is enabled by memory and even that does not exist as a tangible entity. Memory is only the impression of a 'past' event. Not the event itself. The 'past' was always 'now', but that has gone as soon as it has happened. The 'now' is the nonsensical continuous moment. As soon as the 'now' happened it moves into the illusory 'past' that doesn't exist.

A rock that was originally 'created' (came into existence) millions of years ago can only be examined as it is. Not as it was. The concept of the living rock. The rock as it is 'now'. That a rock was identical in a 'now' that has gone can only be assumption. It can never be tested or verified.