The Paradox of Time

The Paradox of Time: Embracing the Eventless, the Meaningful, and the Role of Intention

Time—how often do we wrestle with it, trying to measure, extend, or escape it? As psychotherapist, I find Steinbeck’s reflection on the nature of time both profound and revealing. It speaks to something many of us experience: a deep, almost instinctual recognition that eventless, routine moments tend to feel like they pass unnoticed, while times filled with emotion, drama, or meaning stand out vividly in our memories. Why is this?

In East of Eden, Steinbeck lays bare the paradox of time. Routine, predictable days without a clear narrative thread seem to stretch into nothingness. In contrast, the days that hold joy, pain, or excitement are “splashed with interest,” and they lodge themselves firmly in our memories, often seeming far longer than the unremarkable ones. It’s as if time, when it lacks “posts” to cling to—those events that give it meaning—ceases to exist in any real, tangible way.

This is an idea that touches on the very essence of existential thought: the quest for meaning in our lives. How we experience time isn’t governed by the clock or the calendar but by the moments we live through and how we engage with them. Without significant events or moments of reflection, time slips away unnoticed.

But what if we could change how we experience these seemingly eventless times? What if, instead of letting them slip away unnoticed, we brought intention to each moment?

The Existential Experience of Time and the Power of Intention

In existential psychotherapy, one central theme is how we understand time—our relationship with it, and how we allow it to shape our lives. As Steinbeck suggests, it’s not the passage of time that truly matters but the quality of the experiences that punctuate our journey through it. This is a key element in existential work: the search for meaning in each moment.

This search can be made even more powerful by the simple yet profound practice of intention. When we bring intention into our lives, we infuse the mundane with purpose. Intention gives structure to our moments, even when they seem routine or “eventless.” Instead of passively allowing time to pass, we actively engage with it, choosing how we want to show up, moment by moment.

Think about it: When was the last time you intentionally engaged with your day, choosing to be fully present, no matter how ordinary the moment? What if, even in those quiet, uneventful periods, we brought our intention to them? A cup of coffee in the morning could become an opportunity to savor the warmth, the taste, and the stillness. A walk outside could be a moment to breathe deeply and feel the air in our lungs.

Intention transforms the fabric of time. When we set an intention for the present, time becomes not just something that happens to us but something we actively shape and experience.

Art and Time: Salvador Dalí’s The Persistence of Memory

Art often helps us process this paradox. Take Salvador Dalí’s iconic painting The Persistence of Memory. In this surrealist masterpiece, the soft, melting clocks twist and stretch across a barren landscape, suggesting a fluid, distorted sense of time. The clocks, traditionally seen as symbols of order and measurement, appear to lose their meaning in the face of the vast emptiness surrounding them. Dalí’s work invites us to question whether time is truly something to be measured or whether it is a malleable concept shaped by our experiences.

In the same way, our own memories and experiences stretch or shrink, depending on how much emotional or personal significance we attach to them. A year marked by profound events may feel longer than one that passes by in routine, even if both technically last the same amount of time. Time, like Dalí’s clocks, is not fixed—it is something we perceive and define, often in accordance with how deeply we feel it. Intention gives us the power to shape that perception.

Music: Brian Eno’s Music for Airports – A Soundtrack for the Present Moment

Another beautiful example of how time can be experienced differently is found in Brian Eno’s ambient album Music for Airports. Unlike music with clear rhythms or melodies, Eno’s ambient work is designed to encourage relaxation and mindfulness, allowing the listener to experience time without a strict sense of beginning or end. The soothing, evolving textures of the music unfold slowly, encouraging us to embrace the present moment rather than rush toward the next.

In many ways, Music for Airports mirrors the paradox Steinbeck describes—time feels both expansive and full, even without dramatic events marking its passage. This ambient soundscape is about being in time, not pushing toward the future or dwelling on the past. It’s about listening to the flow of the moment and allowing it to unfold at its own pace. Similarly, when we bring intention into the present moment, we can feel time’s fullness, even in the absence of significant events.

A Reflection on Your Relationship with Time and Intention