Since 2020, time seems to have picked up such speed that in the blink of an eye, nearly five years have passed. It’s almost been five years since 2020, yet the surprising part is that it still feels like 2020 or even 2018 happened just yesterday. The question arises—has time really accelerated, or is there another reason behind this?

In this universe, the most mysterious thing is time. As humans, we think we are free, but if we look deeply, death, time, and impermanence invisibly bind us. With age, time plays different games with us. Many people feel that after 2020, or after COVID, time has been slipping away more quickly. For many, the years 2021 and 2022 seem like blurry memories, as if everything has faded into a haze.

In childhood, summer vacations felt endless. Every day seemed new because our minds absorbed every little detail. The blue sky, the shining stars, the trees and plants—everything felt unique. There were no responsibilities, no burdens, and we lived fully in the present. That’s why time also felt endless.

But as we grew older, the world started to feel familiar and repetitive. The brain constantly craves novelty, and when the same routine repeats itself, time seems to pass faster. Between 2016 and 2020, the internet and social media became deeply embedded in our lives. Then COVID stopped everything. People were locked inside their homes and became so attached to the internet that they forgot to see the real world. This habit pushed the mind into depression and constant entanglement with the past and future. That’s why the last five years feel blurry and rushed.

Today it feels like months and years pass in the blink of an eye. The real question is—how do we escape this situation and once again experience life in depth as we used to? The solution is to create new memories, explore new places, and avoid repeating the same routines. By keeping some distance from social media and the internet, we can return to living life authentically.

For this, you can write a diary, explore nature, read new books, lie under a tree, watch the rain, spend hours talking with your parents or elders, make new friends, practice meditation, and gaze at the stars. If you continue to do this for a few months, you will notice that you start to taste the richness of life once again.

Time is very limited, and it can end at any moment. In this vast universe, our 60–70 years of life are nothing more than a few microseconds. That is why living every moment meaningfully and deeply is the only true way to live.