Everything is slower when you focus on it. When you focus on something hard enough, you put more of your peripheral energy into it. That means you’re taking out the outer distractions, and absorbing them into the point of singularity of your focus. This is what I like to call a lucid periphery.
A lucid periphery absorbs all the peripheral abstractions into the point of singularity. One example is when you’re talking on a cell phone. Your outer distractions absorb into the point of singularity, which is your focus, which is your phone conversation with someone important. All outer distractions cancel out. The reason being is because of the next point I’m about to say.
The reason why everything absorbs around you into the point of focus is because you take all the energy you would use for your periphery and suck it into the focus you are on. Everything will distort into your point of singularity. It is much like a center of gravity, but of your subconscious awareness. The more awareness you have of something, the less the outer material will matter, and the slower the events will take place.
Another physical example is when one looks at a ball of light. This could be the sun, for example. That is a powerful source of light, and there’s a reason why your sight significantly dims and may be snatched from prolong vision into the sun. It’s because when you look at a light, all of the surrounding aura gets absorbed into the light’s point of singularity, and you’ll notice your surroundings get darker.
[And] who created seven heavens in layers. You do not see in the creation of the Most Merciful any inconsistency. So return [your] vision [to the sky]; do you see any breaks?
Then return [your] vision twice again. [Your] vision will return to you humbled while it is fatigued. (Qu’ran 67:3-4)
Now let’s take this theory a gear higher. Let’s take it to the world of the abstract. We can say that focus has to do with focus of life, not just physically visual focus. What things is focus important for? One important thing is education. To get a degree, one must past tests, and to past tests, one must study. When one studies, he absorbs his information before him. With enough focus, the point of singularity can be reached where all other things are absorbed, and one may study for hours at a time. At that point, so much will be accomplished that peripheral time will go slower.
This theory instates another factor as well. It’s that focus is inversely proportional to time. Focus can be called “force” as well, because the more focus you have, the stronger “force” you put forth. The more you focus on something, the quicker time goes, just like how the more force you put into something, since F=m x a, and mass is you whilst acceleration is distance divided by seconds squared, meaning the more force you have, the less seconds you need. The paradoxical feature about time is that your perception of it will heighten because of your focus. The more seconds you have, the less force you need. So focus and time go hand in hand in an inversely proportional relationship. When one puts enough focus into something, his time will be spent well, thus his perception of time will heighten, thus time will make its way for the subconsciousness and tend towards stasis in the periphery. In conclusion, you are slowing down time in a sense because of how much more force you put forth.
Let’s take it to the highest and final gear. Looking at Einstein’s theory of relativity, one sees that distance is variable to velocity of observers, which is virtually exactly what is being said here. The difference is that what is being referenced to here is more abstract. The lucid periphery theory states that surrounding material distort into your point of focus, depending on how powerful your point of focus is. The theory of relativity states that space contracts and time dilates, both of which are one and the same, referred to as space-time. In the same manner, the space is the work you put forth, while the time is the time you have allotted. Time will distort based on how much focus you have. The more focus, the greater dilation of time. The time will slow, or become perceptively greater for you. The space is greater because you have increased it by multiplying more focus.
So in essence, focus x time = space. That is because focus is like force, which equals mass times distance over seconds squared, and distance and mass together make up space, whilst distance is over time squared. This is because acceleration increases exponentially based on the exponential decrease of time. Acceleration is inversely proportional to time. So it can be said that focus = space/time, and Force= mass x acceleration => Force = mass x distance/time2 => Force = space/time => Focus = space/time => Focus x time = space. Thus, the higher focus, the lower time necessary.
Let’s look at a final, more concrete example. That is the example of prayer. Prayer in the Islamic religion is incumbent for the believer, and is done five times a day. Remember, according to the lucid periphery theory, those moments will be variable based on focus. One who prays looks down in humble submission to his Lord with his hands in front of his breast. He bows down, stands up, then goes to the sitting bowing position called prostration. He does prostration twice, then he gets back up again. He sits down at one point as well. He is complete peace and submission, willingly. He has a strong lucid periphery. That is because he is focusing hard, and everything absorbs into his point of singularity. That point of singularity is Allah (God in Arabic). He puts all his energy into submitting to Him, and remembers him with fervor. The highest point of singularity one’s lucidity can reach is God-consciousness. That can be done in prayer.
The final Prophet of Islam, Prophet Muhammad (SWS) said regarding Godliness: “…It is to worship Allaah as if you see Him…”
When one does that, all of the world around him absorbs into the point of singularity. Everything contracts and time dilates. He is focusing so much, time itself makes its way for him and he is immersed into prayer to the point that he absorbs. Everything seems to gravitate towards him because of his goodness. He is focusing on Allah during those moments and thus everything else dissipates. Reaching ‘ihsan’, or ‘Godliness’ is to imagine seeing Allah. And by doing this, one cancels out the peripheries because he is so absorbed in worship. He dilates time, and makes use of his day much better. He feels like he’s accomplished so much just by that one prayer. And he feels at peace when he emerge, arising anew.
Try to focus on everything you do with as much strength that is good for you. Make your peripheries lucid. Do this simply by focusing. Focus is the key to making the subconscious conscious. That is because the subconscious is all that periphery entails, and the conscious is that which you focus on. If you can heighten your consciousness to the point that it bleeds into your subconscious…then indeed, you will begin to use a greater percentage of your brain. So be aware, always. Notice your surroundings…not by simply looking around, but by focusing into your point of singularity.