Clock Philosophy and the Fourth Dimension

The clock is a peculiar piece. It sits in the home, perpetually moving, ticking off the moments of our lives. Its face is sometimes smiling, sometimes frowning, and sometimes, its just flashes 12:00 over and over. Philosophically, clocks are important elements, which have psychological, social, and symbolic meaning to all of us.

The first thing you notice about clocks is that they are constantly in motion, at least when their working. This means that there is a constant movement in the room, where a clock is placed. The space is no longer static, there is a living beating heart which keeps the action constant. This makes a space more dynamic, more vibrant. Yet at the same time it removes any possibility of complete peace. Stillness is shattered, replaced by the ticking of the timepiece.

Beyond mere motion, clocks are also representatives of time itself. Whether we record it or not, time is constantly flowing all around us. What a clock does is records the passage of this time, and displays it, constantly to whoever cares to look. This too makes a space more dynamic. It ensures that time is never forgotten. Appointments come to mind, time constraints are made real, and the limitations of the fourth dimension are crystallized in the face of that simple timepiece.

Clocks often will have sounds associated with them; a soft tick tock, the clinking of a bell at the hour, or even the buzz of an alarm, propelling you to an appointment. This is just one more way that they infuse our lives with mention of time, its passing, its beginnings and its ends. Some people cant stand these sounds, hearing in them the coming of fate, while others are comforted by the soft steady drawl of the timepieces beat.

The clock is powerful, symbolically, and physically. It doesn't overwhelm, but instead uses a slow, steady, constant march, that fills our lives with the gentle rhythms of time.

This article was written by Jim Slate on behalf of PebbleZ.com's line of exotic exotic natural stone wall clocks. These hand crafted timepieces represent not only the measure and display of time, but since they are made from ancient pieces of mountain born natural stone, they are actually an embodiment of the passage of time itself.