“During history, a variety of answers have been given to the question of whether time is like a line or, instead, like a circle.”

One of the most prominent debates on the topic of time is over whether it is cyclical or linear. Advocates of the cyclical theory give the evidence that events have reoccurred throughout history. Is it possible that this is true? Or do minor disparities in each event make each ‘recurrence’ unlike any other, thus supporting the linear theory?

I believe that, broadly speaking, the cyclical theory holds true—everyone is born, goes through childhood, adolescence, adulthood, old age, and ultimately returns to dust. When taking a closer examination, however, the cyclical theory is far off—I may go through the general stage of adolescence, but the experiences I undergo are vastly different from those my parents or grandparents may have gone through; the world is constantly shifting, times are changing, and thus, each individual’s experiences and perceptions of the universe are uniquely exclusive to them.

The Hebrews created the view that times progresses from event to event in a linear method—not precisely a straight line, but at least aiming towards some objective and the goal is always the predestined future (for those religious beings, a destiny determined by a higher being). To demonstrate this, recall some typical Biblical stories—sins always have inevitable consequences and ethical choices constantly result in positive outcomes.

On the other side of the spectrum, the ancient Greeks, Chinese, Aztec, and Mayans as well as the Hindu culture accepted the cyclical theory as true. They believed that, in time, the beginning always leads back around to the end, at which point the cycle starts again. Time is intricately entwined and events recur throughout history.

So which theory is the “ultimate truth”? There will never be a definitive answer to that question. All that we can know is that, if time is in fact “real”, all we can do is wholly live the life we have (whether we are passing through time, or if time is passing us). As someone once wisely advised, “Live life fully while you're here. Experience everything. Take care of yourself and your friends. Have fun, be crazy, be weird. Go out and screw up! You're going to anyway, so you might as well enjoy the process. Take the opportunity to learn from your mistakes: find the cause of your problem and eliminate it. Don't try to be perfect; just be an excellent example of being human.”