SELF-HEALING, THE TYRANNY OF TIME, WITH CARLO ROVELLI
- Madhukar Dama
- Apr 14
- 3 min read
Breaking Free from the Illusion of Clocks, Deadlines, and Regrets
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INTRODUCTION: TIME IS NOT WHAT YOU THINK IT IS
We live in chains we can’t see —
9 to 5 clocks. Schedules. Regrets of the past. Fear of the future.
We obey time like a god,
But physicist Carlo Rovelli whispers a radical truth:
> “There is no single, flowing time.”
“Time is not universal. It is a relationship.”
You were not born with time.
You were taught it.
You were made to believe your worth is measured in hours, your growth in milestones, your meaning in productivity.
This is the tyranny of time.
And you can heal from it.
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THE ILLUSION WE LIVE UNDER
You are told:
“Time is money.”
“You’re running out of time.”
“Don’t waste time.”
“You're too late.”
“Act your age.”
This turns life into a race.
A pressure cooker.
A countdown.
But Carlo Rovelli — through physics, not poetry — tells us:
> “There is no present moment that is the same for everyone.”
“Time is granular, relative, incomplete.”
He reminds us: Time is not a line — it’s a cloud.
Not fixed — but fluid.
Not enemy — but illusion.
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THE COST OF BELIEVING IN LINEAR TIME
We suffer because we believe time is:
Linear — we think we’ve “lost time” or “wasted years”
Precise — we punish ourselves for not being “on time” in life
Absolute — we think there’s a perfect age for marriage, success, healing
Scarce — we panic as birthdays pass, dreams delay, beauty fades
This causes:
Anxiety — from trying to catch up
Shame — from comparing timelines
Burnout — from constant doing
Grief — from believing "it’s too late"
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CARLO ROVELLI’S TRUTHS THAT UNLOCK HEALING
1. There is no master clock.
Every atom, every being, every place moves through time differently.
So stop syncing your life to someone else’s.
2. The present is not universal.
Your now is not the same as mine.
So stop thinking you’re behind.
3. Time is a relationship.
Time appears when something happens in relation to something else.
So stop worshipping calendars. Start observing experience.
4. The world is made of events, not things.
Life is a dance of interactions, not a row of items.
So stop clinging to permanence. Feel the moment.
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HOW TO SELF-HEAL FROM THE TYRANNY OF TIME
1. REST WITHOUT GUILT
Stop checking the clock while resting.
Your worth is not measured in minutes.
2. STOP TIMELINE COMPARISONS
You are not early.
You are not late.
You are just you, unfolding in your own rhythm.
3. PRACTICE TIMELESSNESS DAILY
Walk barefoot.
Gaze at a tree.
Sit in silence.
Lose time — and find yourself.
4. QUESTION EVERY “SHOULD” BASED ON AGE OR TIME
Ask: “Who said this? Do I agree? Does it bring me peace?”
5. WRITE A NEW RELATIONSHIP WITH TIME
Instead of saying:
“Time is slipping away.”
Say: “Life is unfolding gently.”
Instead of:
“I’m too old for this.”
Say: “I’m right on time for this version of me.”
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A RADICAL REFRAME: WHAT IF YOU NEVER “WASTED TIME”?
What if all those “lost years” were actually:
Seasons of learning?
Times when your soul was gathering strength?
Moments when life protected you from something you weren’t ready for?
What if nothing was wasted?
What if you were always right on time?
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A BRUTAL SUMMARY QUOTE
> “The clock is not your enemy — the belief that you must obey it is.
Time didn’t break your heart.
Expectation did.”
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CLOCKFKED
they gave you a clock
before they gave you a name.
said:
“here — count your life in ticks.”
“earn your worth by the hour.”
“die just in time.”
and like a good dog,
you chased minutes,
bit deadlines,
and wagged your tail
for calendars.
you grew old fast
not from age
but from obeying
every goddamn schedule
like it was holy.
then one night,
half-drunk,
half-broken,
you open a book —
no saints,
just a skinny Italian physicist
telling you:
“time ain’t real, kid.”
“the universe doesn’t care about your clocks.”
“your now isn’t mine.”
“you were never behind — just breathing in a different orbit.”
and suddenly,
you throw the watch,
stop racing your own ghost,
and walk like time owes you nothing.
because it doesn’t.
you’re free.
late,
lazy,
limitless —
and finally alive.
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