Eternity/Infinity

Eternity is not something that
begins after you're dead.  It is going
on all the time.  We are in it now.

--Charlotte Perkins Gilman--

Last night I went out into the backyard  after completing my chores.  It was cold, bitterly cold; well maybe bitter is a little  too harsh.  It was cold, yes, but I just needed a breather after being cooped up in a heated office all day and now in a heated home. It was barely 8 o'clock, and it was already quiet out there. The dark time of the year has begun, and all were safe and snug in their homes.  And when I looked up at the sky there was darkness...infinite darkness. The moon is now in her winter home and appears in front of my house, away from my line of sight.  But where are the stars? I thought. The day had been clear so they should be twinkling in the sky, but there were none to be seen.   

Infinite darkness. Infinity. We are all aware that the world is infinite, but do we ever think about it?...that no matter how far you may go, in an endless amount of time...you will never reach the end.   

To see a World in a Grain of Sand
And a Heaven in a Wild Flower,
Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand
And Eternity in an hour.

--William Blake--

Infinity is to space as eternity is to time.   One cannot exist  without the other.  Both are never-ending.  Both are a state of being without perception which is why we have such difficulty grasping their concepts.  Eternity is no time.  It is another way of saying 'forever'.  I remember the first time I thought about eternity; I was fascinated by the idea of forever. Infinite time. In the words of William Blake, "Time is the mercy of eternity."

See, if you can, eternity in the hour that passes.

Arabian proverb

Eternity..Infinity... endless, forever...We humans are infinite beings; our very essence is defined through time.   With  time there is a beginning and an ending.
At some point, each of us must come to terms with the fact that life is about making choices, of beginnings and endings, and that each choice costs us in terms of time. And the value of those choices determines how much we value our own lives.  So, just for today live, live each moment as if it is your only one while knowing you have an eternity to enjoy an infinite number of such  moments.  The ability to value every precious minute of our lives is our only protection  against the threat of regret and is our best assurance of living a life that is deeply meaningful and truly satisfying...for there can be no greater pain that one can experience than the pain of regret.

Behold, I have reached the peak of the mountain and my spirit has taken flight in
the heavens of freedom and liberation.
I have gone far, far away, O children of
my mother; the hills beyond the mists are
now hidden from my view, the last traces
of the valleys have been flooded by the
ocean of serenity, and the paths and trails
have been erased by the hand of oblivion.
The roar of ocean waves has faded.  I
no longer hear anything but the anthem of eternity, which harmonizes with the spirit.

Khalil Gibran