The beach was cloaked in darkness when I arrived, the air cool and filled with the soothing rhythm of waves caressing the shore. Stars dotted the inky sky, their faint glow reflecting on the restless ocean. As I stood there, camera in hand, a soft blush began to creep over the horizon, turning the black water into shimmering silver. Slowly, the sky came alive with streaks of pink, orange, and gold, and the first rays of sunlight spilled over the waves, igniting the world in warmth and light. As I stood there, adjusting my lens and balancing the tripod legs, a thought struck me: this moment, fleeting and ephemeral, would soon be gone forever. Yes, the sun will again rise tomorrow, the waves will return to kiss the shore, but tomorrow will just be an impression of today.
I often ponder over the meaning of time. What is the present? Is it merely a singular moment sandwiched between the infinite stretches of the past and the unknown expanse of the future? Or is it an ever-existing reflection of human consciousness? Is the present all that matters?
“What then is time? If no one asks me, I know what it is. If I wish to explain it to him who asks,
I do not know”
– St. Augustine
Time flows ceaselessly, indifferent to our hopes of holding onto it. The present, paradoxically, is everything and nothing. It is the only moment we directly experience, yet it vanishes the instant we try to grasp it. As soon as the sun crests the horizon, the dawn I came to capture becomes part of the past. And yet, the present anchors us, giving meaning to our memories and aspirations.
Philosophers through the ages have wrestled with the nature of time. For Heraclitus, life was in constant motion—a river where no moment could ever be repeated. The Buddha urged us to embrace the now, warning that clinging to the past or fearing the future only breeds suffering. Immanuel Kant argued that time is not a thing in itself but a lens through which we perceive reality, a framework that structures our experience. These ideas remind us that time is not merely a measure but a profound element of existence, shaping how we live and how we understand ourselves.
Is it even possible to comprehend time enveloped in it?
For all the wisdom about living in the present, we remain deeply connected to what came before and what lies ahead. These connections make us human. However, today, we obsess over the future, worrying about what lies ahead, while clinging to the mistakes and regrets of our past. This fixation blinds us to the duties and beauty of the present. We allow the weight of yesterday and the anxiety of tomorrow to overshadow the here and now, forgetting that the present is the only space where life truly unfolds.
In our pursuit of control, we lose sight of the moments that matter most. The irony is that while we yearn for meaning, we often overlook the fact that meaning is forged in the present—in the choices we make and the lives we touch right now.
The question grows more profound when viewed through the eyes of photography. On the one hand, the present is undeniably central—it is the only reality we can touch. Yet photography reveals that the present is never self-contained; it constantly interacts with the past and the future. A photograph of a protest, for example, captures the fervour and determination of a struggle in the present. Years later, it becomes a historical artifact, shedding light on the ideals and conflicts of its time. For future generations, it might inspire action or caution against repeating past mistakes. The present, then, is a seed—its true significance revealed only with the passage of time.
So, is the present all that matters? I don’t know. I am too small a being to shed light on such a big question. Nonetheless, I joined some pieces and made a belief for me. A person who is in the pursuit of creation gets the privilege of preserving a slice of time. Be it a writer, a poet, a potter, a sculptor, a painter or a photographer – this conquest of understanding time defines our purpose.
What do you think about the value of the present? Has this question ever occurred to you? Let me know in the comments!
