Chronal Reasoning: Time as a Mental Reaction to Change

Time is often treated as a universal constant — a dimension we move through or a force that flows independently of us. In this essay, I argue that time, as experienced by conscious beings, is not a fundamental structure of the universe but a construct of the mind, built from reasoning, memory, and perception of change. We do not sense time directly; we react to difference and assemble temporal models to stabilize our experience.I propose that each individual builds a personal time model through pattern recognition and cognitive sequencing — and when reasoning ceases, time as we know it ceases for that individual. This approach reframes time not as an external entity but as a mental interface for organizing change, with profound implications for consciousness studies, memory, trauma, and even artificial intelligence.Time may not govern us — we may construct it moment by moment as a tool for tracking motion, meaning, and intent.