The secret powers of time

In my last blog post, I spoke on the subject of identity and how we perceive ourselves.  I was doing some early morning web surfing today when I ran across this youtube video on the secret powers of time.  In this video, Professor Philip Zimbardo discusses the perception and use of time by people and compares them to prior studies.  The narration is matched with matching whiteboard drawings placed in time lapsed.

Professor Zimardo points out a couple of concepts I found incredibly interesting.  According to the professor, people live primarily in one of six "time zones".  Past positive, past negative, present positive, present negative, future positive, and future negative.  Past positive, for example, is one looking back at what has happened and remembering only the good times.  What fascinated me about this is this concept can start to answer how we look at our own identities, and what forces (both internal and external, even cultural), have gone into shaping this perspective.  

I started thinking about what time zone I live in.  To be honest, I don't know.  I think I have a weird combination of all of the zones, but which one applies at the moment has everything to do with what I happen to be thinking about.  I perceive myself in terms of my employment, education, personality, relationships, etc in different zones.  This being the case, I wonder if there are people who are able to approach nearly everything in their life with one zone.

I highly recommend watching this video.  It is ten minutes long, but it will cause you to think.