Time

 What is time? Some people argue that it's another dimension but for me it's different. Time is another creation of God. It molds our memories, guides our actions, and confronts us with the inevitable passage of our days, yet it always eludes us slipping through our fingers like sand. Time is what allows us to reflect on our past mistakes and makes us hopeful and more prepared for the future. It is what has allowed galaxies to form and life on this planet to evolve and thrive. Every precious second that elapses cannot be bought back and leads us closer to our death. Time is what gives us purpose in our lives to achieve our goals because it's the reason we know our time on Earth is limited. It's what shows us how we have developed and grew and how well we spent our lives.

In stories, time plays a similar role. A story’s structure can be displayed through a timeline, guiding us from a character’s beginning through their struggles and growth toward a resolution. Time allows stories to unfold, creating arcs that imitate the flow of time in real life and makes the story progression more natural. It gives depth to characters, showing us how they change as events pass. Without the passage of time, there would be no “before” and “after,” no way to show a character's growth, redemption, or downfall. Time also creates tension. It's the countdown that pushes the hero to work with more haste, like how I felt on Calc tests, to stop the tragedy.