Chronophage - The Time Eater

"Basically I view time as not on your side. He'll eat up every minute of your life, and as soon as one has gone he's salivating for the next."

Year-end Reflection 

 

Dec 2015: Another year is passing away.... Although not everything we had resolved to do at the start of the year have been accomplished; although we encountered trials along the way; and although the economic outlook remains uncertain over the horizon, we can still find reasons to give thanks.

 

We do have a good life: I am truly blessed with a wonderful wife. We live in a private apartment, we enjoyed doing simple things together. We are healthy… physically, emotionally, socially and financially. Job-wise, I find meaning in what I do... I love to do research, teach and inspire my students, who are really the hope and future of the nations. All in all, we are happy and humbly grateful for God's protection and grace.

 

We were away on sabbatical: 4 months in Cambridge (Aug -Dec 2014) and 5 months in Florida (Jan - May 2015). What does one do during sabbatical? R&R! Intellectually, R&R stands for Reading and Research. At a deeper level, R&R also stands for Rest and Reflect. During our sabbatical, we met many acquaintances and made new friends. We tried new things, new experiences. We also travelled to many cities, such as Maastricht in Netherlands, Brussels & Bruges in Belgium, London, Manchester & Reading in England, Edinburgh in Scotland, Boston and several interesting places in Florida, USA.

 

What inspired us? In reflection, there are indeed many things we could share on what inspired us. Cambridge is a stunningly beautiful college town. You can easily be awed by its rich history; imagine dining at The Eagle pub where Crick and Watson interrupted patrons’ lunchtime (in Feb 1953) to announce that they had discovered “the secret of life” (i.e. how DNA carries genetic information); or visiting the Wren Library to look at the handwritten notes of Sir Isaac Newton; or peeping into the field notes of Charles Darwin at the Sedwick Museum.

 

In Florida, we were inspired by the natural serenity of God’s creation and by the friendliness of those we met. I was thrilled to visit many farms, which taught us many life lessons, such as not to underestimate the potential of a small seed; the importance of patience and hard work; and appreciating the seasons of life… particularly, there is a season to sow, there is a season to wait, and there is a season to reap. 

Where am I in the seasons of life? 2015 is also a very special year. It marks Singapore's 50th year of independence. Most Singaporeans will also remember 2015 for the passing of Mr Lee Kuan Yew, the founding father and chief architect of modern Singapore. Born in 1965, I also celebrated my 50^th birthday this year. If you take age 20-35 as spring, 35-50 as summer, 50-65 as autumn, 65-80 as winter, then I am at the stage where summer has just passed. So, here I am, staring into the autumn season of my life… reflecting the season of transition, the changing colors of autumn leaves (and white hairs) can make one more contemplative on life... While this is the season for gathering the harvests and for giving thanks, it is also a time for preparing for the coming hibernation of winter.

 

The Corpus Clock: The continual passing of time and cycle of life and death reminded me of an interesting landmark in Cambridge UK. The Corpus Clock is a large sculptural clock at street level, looking out over the busy King’s Parade. The dominating visual feature of the clock is a grim-looking metal sculpture of an insect similar to a locust. This beast is called the Chronophage (literally "time eater" in Greek). It moves its mouth, appearing to "eat up" the seconds as they pass, and occasionally it "blinks" in seeming satisfaction. The creature's constant motion produces an eerie grinding sound and the hour is tolled by the sound of a chain clanking into a small wooden coffin hidden in the back of the clock. Below the clock is an inscription from 1 John 2:17: mundus transit et. concupiscentia eius ("the world passeth away, and the lust thereof").

 

According to Taylor (the benefactor), the clock is entirely accurate only once every five minutes. The rest of the time, the pendulum may seem to catch or stop, and the lights may lag or, then, race to get ahead. This erratic motion reflects life's "irregularity". Conceived as a work of public art, the Chronophage reminds viewers in a dramatic way of the inevitable passing of time. It is deliberately designed to be "terrifying". Taylor shared, "Basically I view time as not on your side. He'll eat up every minute of your life, and as soon as one has gone he's salivating for the next."

 

Time can pass us by swiftly without our knowing: Below are two photos we took, then and now. Then was in 1997, now is in 2014. Two photos of the same couple taken in front of the same building, but 18 years apart. Note that I am wearing the same navy blue jacket, although its color has faded and the padding worn out. Thankfully, we are still smiling after all these years! Life has been good to us!

 

                   

Some say, life after 50 is a downhill: I do not believe this. Instead, I believe there is more to life! While the visual image of the Chronophage eating away time can be hypnotically disturbing and the claim that the world (and its lust) is passing away is true, it is incomplete. The second part of the verse was left out: “but the one who does the will of God lives forever.” One inspiring biblical character is Caleb who continues to thrive at the age of 85. During our sabbatical, we got to know many who are still going strong in their autumn/winter seasons. Their stories serve as a lesson for us to never release God’s promises; never retire from serving God; never resigned to the fate of time, and never retreat from the enemy!

 So for this Christmas: We choose to look back with gratitude, to enjoy the present, and to look forward with hope. Instead of letting the Chronophage chew away our precious moments, we intentionally take time out to celebrate life. Instead of running mindlessly, we find time in this festivity period to remind ourselves of God’s provision, and to say “thank you” to those who have been a blessing to us in many different ways.

 

Indeed, your friendship has been a blessing to us. Thank you. May the holidays become a special time of spiritual enrichment, personal renewal, and genuine gratitude.[1]

Photo: on a less-travelled road in Florida (2015)

Our prayer as we look forward to 2016: Lord, you have been good to us, you have been gracious; you have been faithful meeting our needs; Lord, it’s so plain to see. You have been good to us. We have been given much that we can’t even begin to thank you… And still, we believe there is more. So, we open our hands to receive all that your love has installed for us,
miracles wonders blessings unnumbered, love never-ending!

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[1] References: Don Moen, Charles Swindoll, Wikipedia.