Understanding Time and Eternity takes readers on a thought-provoking and ambitious journey to explore how humans perceive, conceptualize, and live within the realms of time and eternity. What was the inspiration for the original and fascinating idea at the center of the book?

The idea to write this book came to me many years ago, seeking to understand the connection between us and “time”. I have always been concerned with how time “flows” and how it influences us. I was also interested in how time “modifies” our bodies, aging them. I wondered if there were no more eternity, would we be eternal?

My visit to Japan in 2023 catalyzed the process of writing this book and gave it its final form. Following this visit, I tried to understand “time” in a broader way, going beyond just the Western vision of time. I studied the Western and Eastern visions of the concepts of “time” and “eternity” in comparison. To my surprise, I found that they have many common elements, of course, in addition to the elements specific to each religion or philosophy.

One thing that stood out was the extent of your research and how you drew from multiple disciplines to form your theory, rather than relying solely on science or religion. Did you find anything in your research of this story that surprised you?

Yes. While doing research for this book, I was often surprised to find many common elements in both Eastern and Western religions or philosophies. I was surprised that “time” as a concern of man has been at the core of human philosophy since ancient times. Man – regardless of faith – has correlated the idea of “time” with the concept of divinity. Another “goal” that appeared almost obsessively was how man seeks to continue his own earthly existence in a certain way through “eternity.” It was also surprising for me to observe how different and sometimes opposing the Western vision is to the Eastern one regarding certain aspects of “time” or “eternity” and at the same time how close this same vision is for other views related to “time” and “eternity”.

What were some ideas that were important for you to share in this book?

Through this book, I tried to convey more of the idea.

First of all, understanding the concepts of “time” and “eternity” helps us to better integrate into society and have a broader vision of humanity. Also, understanding how these concepts influence people’s thinking and shape their religious beliefs contributes to the general progress of humanity.

“Understanding Time and Eternity” shows my own vision of “time”, namely the fact that time “exists” in the form of “timelines” that can be individual or societal, as well as my vision that time can also be in the form of “loops”, not only cyclical or linear. I also emphasized the idea that these “timelines” can “interact” with the “eternity lines” as well as my concept related to “time travel”.

However, I concluded that the emergence of a new temporal system is inevitable in the future due to the evolution of human society and the increasing influence of artificial intelligence.

What is one thing that you hope readers take away from Understanding Time and Eternity?

Through my book, I would like readers to understand that knowing ourselves and our relationship with what is around us will come to define us as individuals. When we appear in this world, we are not asked, and when we leave this world, we are also not asked for the accord. We come to this world from eternity, and after we die, we go again into eternity. From these aspects, we should start our introspection and analysis of the relationship between us and “time”.

We must understand that “time” is not our enemy and death is not the end. Regardless of our philosophy of life or our faith, temporality and eternity are intertwined, and we must each find our own “niche” that ensures our emotional stability and personal fulfillment.

I wish that my readers in the West gain a better understanding of Eastern philosophy and those in the Far East gain a clearer vision of how Westerners live their daily lives.