A simple definition of relative is - in comparison to something else. In life, in general, everything is compared to something else so it’s all relative.
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The theory of relativity (in it's simple form) suggests that time and movement are not absolute but rather, they are relative concepts. Even our perception of time is relative to the movement of our observing awareness. The faster we (the observer) are moving, the slower time is perceived and vise versa.
This concept is called “time dilation” which is the difference in perception of elapsed time by two different observers moving at different speeds. For instance, if two observers are holding a clock, one of which is at rest and one of which is moving extremely fast, than the observer at rest will notice that the other person’s clock is ticking much more slowly than their own local clock. The difference of perceived elapsed time also increases as speed is increased and approaches the speed of light.
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Time dilation is not due to the inner mechanisms of the clock itself but is due to the nature of space and time itself.
Measurement of lengths, like the length of one meter, is also relative as it is based on the speed at which we are moving at rest (i.e. the speed of the earths rotation). One meter as we have come to know it, is based on the observers speed when they are standing still. However, when an observer increases their speed and tries to measure something that is moving at a different speed, the observer will notice that the length of the object is compressed or lengthened depending on whether the object is moving faster or slower compared to their own relative speed.
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As an example, when we drive on a road marked with yellow lines to separate traffic we will notice that the length of the line is longer when our car is moving slowly and shorter when the car is most fast. The length of the line is altered by the movement of the observer in the car.
So how can something like time and length, which seem to be explicit, actually be relative and not absolute? Absolute implies that something exists complete unto itself, independent of external influence and therefore self contained. In our universe though, both matter and non-matter things, mostly lack an objective independent existence since everything is influenced by the perception of an observer. As such, nothing is self-contained. Instead, reality is made up of continuously interacting phenomena which are subject to the influences of all other phenomena.
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Matter and energy themselves are not only influencing each other but they are also influencing the perception of the observing awareness. Similarly, observation is continuously influencing matter and energy as well, as discovered through experimentation in quantum mechanics (double slit experiment, entanglement…etc).
Because of this, reality is not absolute, but rather it is relative. Mind and matter both partake in a co-dependent relationship in which they influence and alter each other on a continuous basis. Nothing is absolute, it’s all relative.
Thanks For Reading. Feel free to comment and share your own opinion or correct me if I am wrong in my explanation – I’m not a physicist :)
