What is Timeless?

When something is timeless, that element or topic, is still relevant to our current human condition. A movie, book or song can be timeless. A person can be timeless. But why? What is the deeper generating factor?

In my last post, I spoke about Jane Jacob’s outstanding book “The Death and Life of Great American Cities.” In reading it again, the book is timeless; the subject matter is still very relevant today. Why is that?

Looking deeper, I propose that timelessness is a value of negative and positive. For example, a song that speaks of love and unity, is timeless in a positive value. The song’s emotional connotations will never erode as it is an essential component of life.

In contrast, the book by Jacobs speaks of urban and planning challenges that remain unsolved and even exacerbated, thus, sustaining negative impacts in the built environment. That subject is timeless because these are relevant problems that we have not fixed.

Maybe a timeless thing is an element that is in true harmony with the human condition. Take that love song. Love is beautiful but it can also be devastating and soul crushing. Each person who listens to the song at various stages of situational life, will interpret the song in a different way.

The same goes for the book by Jacobs; the enigmatic problems in cities create such strife in our lives, however, the concept and execution of the modern city, with all its technological aptitude, and experiential qualities, is a positive marvel in itself.

Thus, I would suppose that, to be timeless is to be balanced.