October 4, 2026

By Arthur H.Gunther

thecolumnrule.com

You can be driving somewhere, perhaps on long-familiar roads, and though you have not heard a particular voice in decades, the rhythm, the way the person spoke, what she/he said, are suddenly with you as if time had returned.

Maybe it did. As with 99 percent of us, there is no comprehension here of Einstein’s thoughts on time or the developing mystery of space time. But, simply put, the thought is that somewhere in time is all the energy of one’s particular voice moment still in place – words, accent, rhythm, the total music that once hit your ears as the listener. And you, the speaker in reply, are also on the recording.

Perhaps that is why we can “hear” voices of long ago. Now some of the reason why is beyond any concept of time as well. There is nostalgia. There is yearning for another “time,” itself stored in your memory, maybe in the emotion of your heart.

The trigger can be the old, quiet road you travel nightside, or the house you past where you once was a visitor. The result of the particular voice popping into your head can make you chuckle, perhaps say something out loud with no one nearby. Maybe a tear, a laugh.

You might even recall entire conversations, tempted to change your old response because “time” has brought insight.

Of course Einstein was onto something. We are the “mass” of his theory and certainly our words are “energy.”

The speed of light not withstanding in E=mc2, it can be comforting to hear old voices.

The writer is a retired newspaperman.

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