The 200 Year Present Moment
The experiment is to get in touch with 100 years before and after your birth. Why 100 years? This is the time span that we are fairly directly personally connected to: from our grandparents to our grandchildren, roughly speaking.
This is a thought experiment that I have found can lead to surprisingly deep results. To the best of my knowledge it was Elise Boulding (an academic and peace activist) who invented it.
The experiment is to get in touch with 100 years before and after your birth. Why 100 years? This is the time span that we are fairly directly personally connected to: from our grandparents to our grandchildren, roughly speaking. It needn’t take long — I find five minutes is enough — although it could take as long as you’d like it to take.
Here is an example from my life, to help you see what I mean.
My grandmother was born in the late 19th century. This was a little before the first powered flight. Computers in their modern sense were barely conceived of by most people. Cars were a luxury. People died from flu, and there were no antibiotics. So my personal story goes back a bit more than a hundred years at this point.
I have no children but am involved in the lives of a niece and nephew, who are five and eight. Looking forward, I’m worried, global warming and peak oil being the big unknowns on the horizon. The consequences of these two crises are unpredictable I think. Thinking twenty years ahead is more than I can envisage, let alone a hundred.
When I do this exercise interesting things happen for me:
- I get a broader perspective. The day to day trivia gets put in perspective. I find that I become less frantic.
- Paradoxically, I also find it helps me focus on what I am doing at the moment. I find that I am less distracted.
- I do get worried for my niece and nephew.
- I get back in touch with my values and priorities.
- I also find myself more hopeful — a hundred years in the future I can easily imagine those who see themselves as enemies now, being friends by then.
- This helps me get unstuck when I feel that there is nothing that can be done.
It is a simple exercise, but it can have quite a deep impact — at least it does for me.
If you would like to try it, I’d love to hear how you find it. Does it result in changes for you? What kind of impact does it have for you? I’m looking forward to hearing your experience in the comments.
Other articles by Evan Hadkins
This article was last reviewed by Dr Greg Mulhauser, Managing Editor on Monday, 1st December 2008. You can leave a reply below.
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2nd December 2008
I listen to audio books on history. I have some on the history of Western Civilization, some on prehistory, etc. It puts things in perspective for me. The world is changing fast, but we humans managed to survive a couple of ice ages, as I recall. It keeps me from complaining.
2nd December 2008
Hi Jean,
I love those books which take a great slab of history – history of civilisation type ones. It really helps to have this kind of big perspective I think.
I hope we survive the next climate catastrophe (this one being the first which people have probably caused – if not, finally, it doesn’t matter: we still need to get our act together and respond to it). The last ones caused the deaths of a large percentage of people.
When I compare our age to previous ones what strikes me is our technology. We have the potential to do so much if we can apply it in the right way. Don’t know if you agree with this. What is it that strikes you about our age?
Thanks for your comment.
2nd December 2008
Hi Evan,
I agree history definately helps in the broader picture. It remiinds us of what changes quickly and what in human nature is slow to change or even a constant. Doing a family tree is fun. I love art history and it is amazing how it reflects the changes going on through out mankinds history. Tells us what is important at the time reflects the changes that take time for others to accept. On looking forward its always fun to imagine what it might look like. The way the children of the 21st century look at their world. How fast the computer sciences evolve and medical technology today. My kids and I were just talking about text messaging and how language is changed in some of their younger counterparts from it. Its all so interesting and humbling.
2nd December 2008
Hi Diane,
The technological changes are particularly amazing I think. Text message speak certainly is a new kind of ‘dialect’ isn’t it.
Thanks for your comment.
3rd December 2008
Evan,
The thing that strikes me most is the overpopulation. I’m afraid there will be great suffering down the pike. My guess is there will be water and food shortages in wide areas, which will mean more conflict and violence. I hope I’m wrong! Our solution in the past was to encourage more and more economic development, but that just puts a greater strain on the environment. We’ll have to see. As I say, I sure hope I’m wrong.
3rd December 2008
Hi Jean,
I fear you are right, and, like you, very much hope you are wrong.
Evan