In Madeleine L’Engle’s entrancing sci-fi novel, A Wrinkle In Time, interplanetery travel is possible by simply bending the space between two objects–creating a wrinkle that shortens the distance. Since time and space are the siamese twins of science, the implications of this fictional transportation are understandably groundbreaking (in the novel). Obviously, the capability naturally leads to a confrontation with a large, bodiless brain that exerts mind control over humans, making everyone act exactly alike. How else could time travel end?
In the unfolding of our own lives, somewhere between our 6th grade summer reading list and now, we cease to image time as a pliable concept. The longer you live, the more linear life feels. But aren’t our lives wrinkled? Memories from the past surge forward, putting childhood events adjacent to the present in a palpable way. This is the difference between our inner and outer lives: to others, we are a linear succession of events, and are understood as a sort of human timeline. To ourselves, we are a collection of memories that somehow define us. Reflection reveals just how current the past can be. There is, indeed, a wrinkle in time.
It’s clear when someone is treating us like the external representation of ourselves. We’re numbers, figures, brainless bodies (instead of bodiless brains). But when someone addresses us internally, a connection is born. We’re interacting with another human being who understands that we identify with ourselves through reflections on past events.
Delivering such respect from the stage is a skill. Every member of an audience has but one chance at life. As they approach the conclusion, their reflections will be characterized not by a stiff timeline but by lucidly re-experiencing the past. Presentations are agents of change–they compel individuals to take the chances they wouldn’t otherwise, to view the world in a new light. Without respect, those connections never form, and time is wasted–for everyone. Take time to respect your audience. Generate a deck that evokes a higher purpose than a single day’s business. You cannot set your sights too high, so prepare, and make a wrinkle in time.
