What is the
Time-binding Trust?

First, what is meant by Time-binding?

We humans are Time-binders. We possess the power to understandand
through that understanding have come to control and dominate planet Earth.

The power of Time-binding is to understand — to observe and remember change
over time. Our human ability to understand comes from the awareness of time
— an awareness that allows us to experience time as sequential or linear.

Tomorrow follows today as today followed yesterday. Time always moves from
the past to the present, from the present to the future. Change is bound in time.
And time-binders understand change in space because they are aware of time.

Time-binding is a way of thinking—analytical thinking. The Time-binder can
make decisions based on understanding changes in his environment over time.
Time-binding analysis is sequential analysis—linear analysis—focused on the
parts rather than the whole.

Analytical thinking recognizes cause and effect. Time-binders are the masters of
cause and effect. When humans understand cause and effect, they make scientific
discovery. They make knowledge. When humans make choices based on
knowledge, they make inventions. They make technology.

Time-binders are the creators of knowledge and technology. When knowledge is
incorporated into matter-energy, it becomes a tool. Humans are above all else
toolmakers.

What is the Time-binding Trust?—TrustMark 2001 by Timothy Wilken — — page 1

Time-binding is also that unique human ability to pass that 'knowing' from one
generation to the next generation. Both animal and human offspring begin their
lives in nearly total ignorance. The differences that exist between them are small,
but what advantage in knowing that does exist belongs clearly to the animal.

While the animal seems to begin life with a greater store of inherited knowing, it
possesses little ability to learn from its parents. The animal is condemned to
rediscover over and over, every generation must discover anew the knowings of
its parents. The wise old owl may know a great deal, but he has no way to pass
what he knows to his offspring and they have no way to receive it.

We humans are very different in that respect. We can and do pass our knowing
from one generation to the next. As Alfred Korzybski, the scientist who
coined the term Time-binding, explained:

“Human beings possess a most remarkable capacity which is entirely
peculiar to them—I mean the capacity to summarise, digest and
appropriate the labors and experiences of the past; I mean the
capacity to use the fruits of past labors and experiences as intellectual
or spiritual capital for developments in the present; I mean the
capacity to employ as instruments of increasing power the
accumulated achievements of the all-precious lives of the past
generations spent in trial and error, trial and success; I mean the
capacity of human beings to conduct their lives in the ever increasing
light of inherited wisdom; I mean the capacity in virtue of which
man is at once the inheritor of the bygone ages and the trusteeof
posterity. And because humanity is just this magnificent natural
agency by which the past lives in the present and the present for the
future, I define humanity, in the universal tongue of mathematics
and mechanics, to be the Time-binding class of life.”¹

¹Alfred Korzybski,The Manhood of Humanity, E.P. Dutton & Co., New York, 1921

What is the Time-binding Trust?—TrustMark 2001 by Timothy Wilken — — page 2

We humans bind time and are bound together in time.

The record of our time-binding is everywhere. It is in all that activity that we so
innocently call progress. It is the very motor of obsolescence. It is imbedded in
just about every thing associated with humans and yet most humans are unaware
of the very power that makes them human. We humans catalogue and store our
various knowings in libraries, universities, colleges, data banks, and information
services. We store our knowing in many formats — books, tapes, films, movies,
newspapers, magazines, video, microfilm, photos, computer files, etc., etc., etc.
We are time-binders and the mark of human power is everywhere.

What do I mean by Trust?

The collective term we humans use to describe what we value is “wealth”.
I define Trustaswealththat comes to us as a gift.

This includes the Life Trust–life itself, the plants and animals which are a gift
from God, and Nature, and our human bodies which are a gift from God, Nature,
and our Parents.

It includes the Earth Trust–the sunshine, air, water, land, minerals, the earth
itself all of which come to us freely. This wealth is provided to us by God and
Nature.

And, thirdly it includes the Time-binding Trust — the accumulated
“knowing” from the time-binding of all the humans who have ever lived and
died. Our inherited Wisdom, Knowledge, and Information including
Architecture, Art, Literature, Music, Science, and Technology. It is the Time-
binding Trustthat forms the basis of all human progress.

What is the Time-binding Trust?—TrustMark 2001 by Timothy Wilken — — page 3

We humans are beneficiaries then of three major trusts–the Life Trust, the
Earth Trustand the Time-binding Trust.

These Trustsare notproperty.

We, humans can not and do not own these trusts. They are not derived from our
lives. They are not the product of our mind or labor. We have not paid for them.
There is no moral or rational basis for us to claim ownership. They are not
property.

Therefore, if we wish the privilege to use and control these trusts, we must act as
trustees, and act responsibly for the benefit of all humanity. As responsible
trustees, we must preserve and protect these trusts. We must act as
conservationists.

“Conservation is the sustainable use of natural resources–soils, water,
plants, animals, and minerals. The natural resources of any area
constitute its basic capital, and wasteful use of those resources
constitutes an economic loss. From the aesthetic viewpoint,
conservation also includes the maintenance of national parks,
wilderness areas, historic sites, and wildlife.

“Natural resources are of two main types, renewable and
nonrenewable. Renewable resources include wildlife and natural
vegetation of all kinds. The soil itself can be considered a renewable
resource, although severe damage is difficult to repair because of the
slow rate of soil-forming processes. The natural drainage of waters
from the watershed of a region can be maintained indefinitely by
careful management of vegetation and soils, and the quality of water
can be controlled through pollution control.

“Nonrenewable resources are those that cannot be replaced or that
can be replaced only over extremely long periods of time. Such

What is the Time-binding Trust?—TrustMark 2001 by Timothy Wilken — — page 4

resources include the fossil fuels (coal, petroleum, and natural gas)
and the metallic and other ores.”²

The Lifeand Earth Trustsare perishable. They must be protected for our
children, and for all future children.

The Time-binding Trustis less susceptible to damage by the user. Using
knowledge or technology designs does not diminish their future value, but they
must be used responsibly. We must not hurt others with any trusts that we
control.In fact, we should help others to whatever the extent we are capable.

All humans are trustees. We are of course the Life Trusteesof our own
bodies. We should take good care of ourselves. Take care with our health and
nutrition. We are also the Time-binding Trusteesof all the knowledge and
skills that we personally have mastered from our study of the past. We must
strive not to hurt others with this knowledge and skill. We should try and help
others to whatever extent we are capable.

This website has been established as a prototype for The Time-binding
Trust. It can serve as a growing repository for human ‘knowing’ — a source of
information, knowledge, wisdom, and oneness — for all humans who would
choose to act synergically.

For while Time-binding grants us humans the power to understand, it does not
insure that we will use our understanding wisely.

Much of our knowledge is embedded in our tools. Human knowledge grows
continuously and without limit. As we incorporate evermore powerful knowledge
into artifacts, we create evermore powerful tools.

²Microsoft Encarta 97 Encyclopedia. Microsoft Corporation, 1963-96

What is the Time-binding Trust?—TrustMark 2001 by Timothy Wilken — — page 5

When we use tools to hurt others, they are called weapons.

If we incorporate evermore powerful knowledge into the tools we use to hurt
others, we will create evermore powerful weapons. This pathway leads inevitably
to the destruction of all humanity.

We humans have a choice. We can choose humility with our gift of Time-
binding. We can choose responsibility as the moral requirement for using our
power of understanding. We can choose to join together and protect our Synergic
Trusts. Only this pathway will guarantee us a future.

Synergic Trusts–def–>

Wealthprovided as a gift.

The Life Trustincludes our bodies as provided by God,
Nature, and our Parents in addition to all other forms of
life–the plants and animals provided by God and Nature.

The Earth Trustincludes the Earth itself and all Natural
Resources provided by God and Nature.

And, the Time-binding Trustincludes all the
accumulated knowing and technology from the mental
and physical labor of all those humans who lived and died
before us.

What is the Time-binding Trust?—TrustMark 2001 by Timothy Wilken — — page 6