After reading the articles, I am surprised at how recent the
arbitrary way of measuring time is. How can we be subjugated to such a mysterious concept? Even with all the theories surrounding the origin of the
sexagesimal system, it is based on the observation of nature that we came up
with the system. And it is even more surprising that we based our system on our
limited appreciation of reality throughout our senses, like the case of
measuring according to the number of joints or fingers we have.
After trying to answer the origins of the sexagesimal system
and the correlation between the way we measure time, it occurs to me that we
could have also used the growth of giant bamboo from Colombia to measure time.
(This plant grows 21 cm per day and has horizontal marks that could help to
track the growth.)
The beauty of the time measurement system is the number of patterns
related to the 60 number. Today we know that the human brain is a machine always looking
for patterns*, and this nature can explain why the civilization selects the 60
based on the frequency of coincidences around 60 and its divisors.
* https://www.edge.org/response-detail/11498
This is a very creative and original reflection. I like how you questioned the arbitrariness of time measurement and brought in the imaginative example of bamboo growth—it shows strong critical and inventive thinking. Your point about the human brain seeking patterns was also a great connection to why 60 might have felt meaningful. To make your reflection even stronger, you could connect your creative ideas more directly to the historical details from the articles (like sundials or star tracking), so the link between imagination and history feels more balanced.
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