The Slow Lane to the Future

Freezing Time and Living Longer

I recently stumbled across this mind-bending Kurzgesagt video, and it really got me thinking about time and how we experience it. You know how some animals just zip through life? Like, take a fly—one minute it’s buzzing around like it owns the place, and the next, it's gone. On the flip side, you’ve got the tortoise, just taking it easy, living for what seems like forever. It’s almost as if time is moving differently for them, based on how fast or slow they’re living.

Now, let’s bring that idea to humans. Imagine if we could freeze someone—not just like sticking them in a freezer but actually putting their entire life on pause. No heartbeat, no thoughts, nothing. Time would just stand still for them. Meanwhile, the rest of us keep going, living our lives, growing older, seeing the world change.

It’s wild to think about, but when that person is eventually unfrozen, for them, it’s like no time has passed at all. They close their eyes, and when they open them again, boom—they're in the future. They wouldn’t feel the gap, the years lost, the world that’s moved on without them. It’s a bit like falling asleep and waking up in a different century.

But here’s where it gets personal. Think about what it would mean to lose that chunk of time, to skip ahead in life. All those moments you’d miss—the good, the bad, the messy in-between. The people you love, the ones who shape your life, they’d all keep going, while you’re stuck in limbo, unaware. It’s kind of heartbreaking if you really sit with it.

Sure, you’d wake up in a whole new world, but at what cost? The people you love might be gone, the world might not feel like home anymore. It’s a shortcut through time, but maybe not one we’d want to take. Life is messy, but it’s those moments, the ones we live every day, that make it worth living.

So yeah, maybe slowing down, taking things a little easier, and living more like a tortoise has its perks. We might not get to jump into the future, but we get to live all the moments that matter.

Just something to think about next time you’re feeling rushed.

Take care,

-M