Tempus Fugit: Order, beauty and the particle physics of a watch
Look closely and you'll see that the universe is extremely ordered. Extremely ordered.
Time matters.
Recording time isn’t just about keeping on schedule, or getting to what’s next. It’s about remembering where you have been, and what you have done.
Working as an administrator, a teacher, particle physicist, a father and a Catholic, there is a lot to do, and a lot of people to serve.
For that, you have to wear a watch. My favorite is a Casio G-Shock.
The G-Shock isn’t fancy, but it has marked some interesting times and places with me: the White House, the Vatican, the South Pole, below decks on a Virginia Class submarine. It’s made a tailhook landing on an aircraft carrier and gone down the National Mall on the March for Life. But mostly it’s spent time with me — and kept it — at the campus I love and serve.
I wear the watch and it tells me what the time is now, and it reminds me of the procession of moments and places I’ve been with it before. It’s functional and emotional and immediate that way.
But amazingly, it also reminds me of a profound beauty of the universe.
Let’s try a simple physics experiment right now while you’re reading this. Maybe you didn’t like your physics class in school, but don’t worry, you can do this.