On Clockflow

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### A pamphlet by Nil Fooley.

Let us consider Time, and let us assume that it may be defined, broadly, as “the movement of moments.”

For the sake of this exercise, let us also assume the following: 1) that you have read the above sentence, 2) that the moment before you read the above sentence is a “Point A” of sorts, and 3) that the moment after is a “Point B.” Of course, many moments have occurred before you have chosen to read the sentence, and there may be many moments more occurring afterwards—which is an assumption that I can make on account of you moving on to read this sentence. One final assumption: let us treat the journey from Point A to Point B as Knowledge. Insubstantial, perhaps, but Knowledge nonetheless.

The Spanse emerges. This is merely one name that may be ascribed to it, and what it is called matters not—a Span, an Expanse, a Large And Quite Frightening Gap Which Reminds Me Somewhat Of Thick Soup, et cetera. What do we know of the Spanse? We know that it emerges between Point A and Point B. We also know that, as it has emerged, *something of importance* has transpired.

“The movement of moments,” you may think. “This is Time, as we have moved from the moment of Point A into the moment of Point B.” To argue semantics, this is foolish—you have not *moved*, unless you have physically relocated yourself during the Spanse, which would be largely irrelevant. And otherwise, the notion that Time is the *something of importance* is false, and a far more egregious pitfall.

To make this mistake is as common as it is mortal. Its spindly roots come from the same core: a fictional disease we know as Distance. As will be explored later, just because something is a fiction does not mean that it is not dangerous. Another consideration (though a brief one): Life. The lens of a mortal taints our understanding of Life not by its pieces nor by its sum, but by Distance. Life begins at Creation and ends at Final Demise, and mortals who fear them see only those bookends. How small a scope one must have to discredit the experience of Life as a linear progression! But that is a workpiece for a cynical artist or a romantic poet. I am dealing with a science which has gone unapplied for long enough.

Distance, that invader of minds, penetrates into our idea of Time. One seeks out Distance in the understanding of Time and insists upon its presence, rather than recognizing that the hole created through it—the Spanse—is just a hole, rather than Distance’s silhouette. Oh, how mortals love the static, how they embrace the essentialism of quantifiable measure! And how they all split the Distances by arbitrary values. A Spanse is a Spanse and can be numbered, weighed, divided, pinned for a favorite color and musical genre. A Spanse can be measured by Distance, with uniform “lengths” masquerading as our understanding of “Time.”

Tell me: when is the best opportunity to measure the height of a plant—say, a khedophere flower (a personal favorite of mine)? By sunrise, for the simplicity by which one wakes up and opts to carry out the task? When the star reaches zenith, and the plant stretches high to meet it? That same zenith late in the season, where the heat threatens to wilt what once was? Or the hours after dusk, uninterrupted by the heat of day? If you’ll bear with the metaphor for a moment longer, perhaps we may see that the problematic factor here is not the height of the khedophere, and it has never been. The problem is the khedophere. How old is she? What are her nutrients? Is this the day she stands tall, or is she lacking in some manner?

Let us refresh our situation. We are assuming (broadly) that Time is the movement of moments, we are aware that a Spanse occurs between Points A and B, and we are rejecting the notion that a length-measure of this Spanse, inspired by a mortal fascination with Distance, is Time. We shall now, finally, assess the situation, or if I may put it in proper terms: the Knowledge.

Do you recall how long, by measurement, it took you from Point A (once again, the reading of the first sentence) to Point B (again, the moment after)? Obviously, this measure will not be universal, at least by most standards—do we all read the same? But stall the ticking for now, and embrace the fact that Knowledge was transferred, and regardless of the “Distance” between your Point A and your Point B versus another’s Points A and B, the Knowledge is the same, and should be quantified the same.

By now, the strengths of your mind may be working to grasp what I have written so far, and you may feel yourself on the cusp of discovering the truth of the matter, and, if I may use you once again as an example, I hope to elucidate my next point. Whatever you are thinking now, this is Point C.

If we are dealing with Knowledge, why does Point C occur after Points A or B? Because the Knowledge is new, and the Knowledge has improved. If you arrived at Point C before Points A or B, the discovery would precede the wonder or the question, or the blankness in preparation for its arrival. Nevermind the physical effects of the matter: your mind would collapse from singularity, or else paradox, or else madness. The Spanse is the buffer: that natural assurance that we do not gain Knowledge in the wrong order. It is not to be measured, but thanked. Truly! Take a moment now to thank your Spanse. You could have learned of your mortality before your conception. A saint, it.

A brief pause to reassess the players in this situation. Point A stands, Point B stands, Point C stands. The Spanse, beautiful bodyguard, pushes apart these three with its unquantifiable limbs—as many may be necessary, for when have Points in your life ceased only at C?—and myself (to intrude on this image, with permission (a lovely mind you have here, may I sit down?)) reminding you the Spanse is a defensive agent against the potentially destructive capabilities of Knowledge (by the archway, tending to a kettle on backburner).

Let us consider Time, and let us refute its definition as “the movement of moments,” with all our top scorers in play. Time, as we should define it, is the *moment of movement*. And what is being moved? The Knowledge. And here is where arguments for Distance fall in spectacular defeat! Try your hardest to measure it. By my publishing of this piece, there is no proper way to do so (though I am sure a successor will one day place arbitrary units of measure onto it to prove me wrong). So: the Spanse be the the curbs of Knowledge, and Time be the markers and goalposts.

You are, without a doubt, scratching at your brains while observing your many Timekeeping devices, possibly pondering “Time-travel” as it may exist in your society (for those who have not reached this stage yet: ignore this, please). May I borrow your voice? Read for me:

*What in the name of all creation have we been measuring, then?*

The observant may note that I have not named this pamphlet “On Time” or something similar, and may begin to wonder why I have chosen this title. Garnish, perhaps? An attempt at baiting young novella-seeking readers into the realm of academic literature? We pocket the silliness for now. This is all Clockflow, and it is a fiction. And as it hums away on your devices and ensures safe passage to your earliers and laters, you are more than aware that it functions well, despite. It is a tangible fiction. A powerful one. The cosmos do not care that you *believe* you have tamed Time. There are other explanations for what you have accomplished, revolving again around Distance.

We shall stay on the track of Time-travel for now (unless you have no grasp on this concept, in which case: thank you for reading! Please put down this pamphlet now). Again, many of your uninformed thoughts on this are better classified as *clockflow*-travel (not as good a ring to it, I know). It can be done—we see it constantly, we hear of it, lesser civilizations fantasize about it without even mastering pillars of equity, magic, spiritual homeostasis, so on. And one may the thankful that *true* Time-travel builds upon an understanding of Clockflow rather than shafting it to the wayside.

Take one more moment to thank the Spanse for its services. I will be here.

...

Are you done? Excellent. We are now going to fire it.

I have mentioned the ill effects of traveling between points without the Spanse acting: singularity, paradox, madness. Moving through these, in short:

* Singularity, where the Knowledge exists across minds all at once, and cannot process in any meaningful manner. How many dull entities seek to destroy the whole of creation after gaining multitudes of knowledge in one short burst? Now you understand why.
* Paradox, where the journey to/of/from Knowledge is disregarded, and a chain of events (intentional or otherwise) undoes the Knowledge. One should never think to be above the functions of the universe to be able to retain Knowledge after its origin vanishes, and one should not think the universe so kind that a mind merely “fades away” after this sort of disruption. How unforgivably messy.
* Madness, the unfortunate result of a mortal's physiospiritual mind merely not having the space for a Knowledge. I have nothing further to quip about this. A tragedy, it.

None of these effects are inevitable. There are preparations that may be made to counteract them, nullify them, lessen their effects, et cetera. There are systems, cosmic or otherwise, in place to reduce the shock of them occurring. By many interuniversal law accords, I am not to reveal the nature of these, but I assure you that they exist, and I assume that the advantageous reader, who is already beginning to understand why I have chosen the title that I did, will be doing their own research into it all. Without risk of singularity, paradox, madness—what has one to gain from temporarily relieving the Spanse of its duties? Is sooner Knowledge worth destroying the body?

... questions the mortal. Let me try again, and let me help you along, with your voice once more:

*What is the body but a vessel for Knowledge, Timed?*

Understand yourself, as you are, right now. Know that creation has favored your mind over your body and will insist upon it forever. And know that while it is not infallible (even the most protective of assistants, our Spanse, can do nothing if you dart into the kitchen, startle Knowledge, and make it knock over its boiling kettle onto your head), its priority will be mind-based rather than body-based. If one can find a way to neuter the perils of Time-travel *without* the Spanse, the mind—in search of unifying Knowledge—will slingshot to the nearest available body. Time-travel is accomplished *on* Clockflow. Ingenuity and faith as necessary steps, one who is able to weather the snags can position their “current” mind, dictated by Knowledge, in their same body at a later point in the Clockflow.

Be thankful that you have failed to define Time properly, then! With this system of precise trajectories, all of the calculations have been made complete in the pursuit of a Distance-based false-Time. All of this effort has not been for nothing—it is only fair that it should be applied to something useful. And no, “telling Time” does not count as a useful application. For creation's sake, just use the stars like the rest of us, please.

I must end this pamphlet here, again because of interuniversal law. I cannot teach you precisely how to travel on Clockflow, but I can hope that this introduction to theory can send you on your way.

Welcome to a reality beyond Point C. Use it well.

*Nil Fooley, Dorcademic, will be a Doctor Laureate at the First Dorcademy on Ludus. He will publish over 577 works during his mortal life and will retire to Artemus in the Separ Dimension after his 724th piece, an autobiography, is received poorly by critics. Readers are kindly asked to refrain from preventing his birth from taking place.*