One second per second

Nine Minutes remaining - the wrist watch on my hand is running in reverse. I know not why.

I am standing in the world congress - where history was made. It took three global wars resulting in failed global governance and then a fourth one involving aliens - is it proper to say aliens now? - took all that for humanity to realize the need for a planetary government. One that could represent us as one in the universe, rationally. One that could answer questions like the one I have today.

“Can you explain again, doctor? And this time in layman English please.” the senator looks around - looking for a chuckle from the assembly. He doesn’t get one. Perhaps some of them already understood the concept, or at least the implications. The whole assembly is waiting with bated breath.

I try to formulate my speech in my head, again. Here we go.

Eight minutes to go.

“Imagine a wide road - infinitely wide - or at least five hundred forty cars wide. You are driving a car - all of you - an individual car. Each car is moving at the same speed. When you look at the person next to you - would you see movement?”

“No, right? You are all in same frame of reference. Static to each other.” Nodding heads - good sign. I say to myself.

“And yet to me - a observer on the side of the road - you are all moving - there a moment - gone the next - provided I am able to see you all. With me till now.”

I can see quite a few nodding heads.

“The same way - we are always traveling in time as well. At the rate of 1 second per second. Just that we are all traveling at the same speed - so we experience the same things at the same moment.”

There are still some of them nodding.

Seven.

“Now just park the time thought for a bit and go back to your car. Let us work with that further. You are back to your car. But it is no longer a car. Imagine if what you are driving is a train, connected cars -identical- moving together- still the same speed - infinitely long. Now, to me - the stopped observer aside - I see a different coach in front of me that the driver - every moment — moments you never experience. I see your past and your future, not just your now. I see a coach you never saw.”

Fewer nods than earlier, but more than what I thought.

“Now, back to the real world - traveling in time - remember. What if I could stop - de-board, get off and observe. 0 seconds per second. Get to the roadside. Like me in the train-car scenario. What would happen? I’m no longer moving through time. That is what time travel means. Not movement, but escape.”

Few nodding heads, few sighs - if I were a performer I would be satisfied. As a theoretical physicist, I am delighted!

“Well - that is time travel. Well put doctor. We get that part - in theory. Why are you here though?” The senator looks at the proposal in his hand.

“You see - there are paradoxes with it. You would have seen movies around them, stories exploiting them, time loops, causal inconsistencies and what not. One of those is the invention paradox”

Six minutes.

“See, if I invent time travel or a practical means of doing it. Would I not use it and transfer the information back to past me - to do it earlier - thereby inventing it without knowing exactly how. It would not be the first time - you know.”

“The first time to what?” This time it is the older gentleman from the right. He is wearing a blue blazer even though it is summer.

“I mean this is not the first time of us - as humans - using something without understanding how it works.

Shipping - for instance - we made sailing ships before we could understand why they float. Long before the mathematics or even the word buoyancy was uttered - we were sailing to unseen corners of the world.” There are a few murmurs of understanding.

“Or metallurgy for that matter - we made alloys, forged weapons out of metals - decades before the atomic theory was formalized.”

“Don’t forget plastics.” The older gentleman chides, getting where I am going. I need to move fast - or else. It is all coming back to me now - or is it coming front.

“Not everything we invented without understanding it turned out to be beneficial in the long run. The jury is still out on whether plastics helped or hurt us as a species or if we will ever recover. Some of us sit on that jury - with a heavy burden.” He is deliberate with his words. Slow and cautious. Engaging every one in the hall - every bit the politician. I hate it. I hate the precious seconds as he continues looking around the room. The others are quiet — he is playing them - except a few murmurs on the end closer to the door.

Three minutes.

“True - true. And that is why I am here. To act - not only with information, but with wisdom - your wisdom.” I raise the tempo of my voice.

“I now know that I will invent time travel - or have already. I do not understand how it will work or has worked, nor will I ever. In fact, this is the Grey zone between discovery and invention. I probably found it - like Ships. Do we want to use these ships - or destroy them?” The crowd starts to discuss between themselves.

“Ladies and Gentlemen - I propose a vote.” The senator who introduced the bill is now taking stage.

“Thanks Doctor S. All assembled of the world technology congress - please use the machine in front of you to vote - in the next thirty minutes. Are there any further questions for the doctor.”

One minute.

I am nervous that there are no questions. The last time around there were many. Questions. Objections. Clarifications. I answered them all. It did not matter though. The fate of us all lies in those few fingers yet again. And here are the results. The soft glow of a decision showing up on the screen.

Sigh.

Nine Minutes remaining. The wristwatch on my hand is running in reverse. I know not why or how.