Theory of Relativity on the Train (1) Special relativity, which was introduced by Einstein, sounds like a profound topic to most of us. Ordinary as we are, we may bear the thought on our minds that science is so remote a topic from our everyday life that we will never come across it within our brief lifetime. However, science does not mean anything if it cannot be actually felt in the air you take in everyday. The experience of taking the train in Beijing is a mixture of complicated feelings, especially during the rush hour. Speed, to a great extent, influences time, while time and space are closely related to each other. The fast-pace of big city, naturally and unconsciously, turns our modern time into a savage era sometimes. When you are in the long line waiting for a train to arrive and are pushed by the crowds from all directions early in the morning, a time when sky is still too sleepy to open up its own eyes, you do the same thing back to those who are around you unconsciously. Although such phenomenon origins from the self-protection mechanism – everyone is avoiding being pushed by pushing others away, selfishness, which is also one of the human natures, is greatly enlarged at this point anyway. Most of the time, the train is stuffed like a stomach that is malfunctioning because of plenitude, with all kinds of smells mixed together. Although suffering from the indigestion, the train still allows more and more “food” to be stuffed in. No one can actually do anything relaxing under such circumstance: It is too crowded that there is no room for even a piece of newspaper; it is too noisy to enjoy the melody in your Mp3 player but the cry of people, “DON’T PUSH ME!”; it is too stuffy to breath in fresh air since what you can only breathe is the air just coming out of others’ noses. Everyone is bored and then time dilation occurs. Nothing interesting will ever occur unless you have your thought fly off-limit. ( Go to this link to check part (2) of this article:) http://www.italki.com/notebook/entry/223533.htm