I thought I’d add my two cents regarding a shortcoming of relativity.

Relativity is based upon a structure in which space-time is constructed with distance and temporal measures with the speed of light describing a fundamental relationship between distance and time. This structure can be visualized as a matrix like configuration, similar to a salt cube. At the vertices of this matrix are small clocks and all the clocks all read the same measures of time. The distance between vertices can be altered due to acceleration, a relative velocity, and the expansion of space-time, but barring these interactions, the basic framework of space time is a perfect lattice type structure with a given interval of time associated with a given distance, and all these measures are consistent through out.

Ignoring for now all the various factors that may distort this dimensional arrangement of space time, there is a fundamental issue that corrupts the perfect order of this model upon which all our relationships of relativity are based. Where does the energy come from to keep all those little clocks at every location in space-time running? Any model of reality shows that there is an intrinsic loss of energy for any physical process. While one could argue that the clocks are hypothetical, then one is forced to admit that the model used to describe reality is based upon hypothetical relationships that are not similar to what we observe in our universe. It is impossible to make any measures of our universe without the loss of energy. This is the same intrinsic problem that is found in quantum physics, any measure of a system will change the system. Some how in general relativity we seem to be perfectly fine in ignoring this effect, it is as if it makes no difference in the relationships, yet in quantum physics we are forced to deal with the issue.

This incongruity can be resolved if there is a way to draw off energy in such a way as to keep all relative measures the same. One way to do this is to allow time to slow down. For example, the thermal energy of a mass is directly related to the number of collisions encountered per unit area or volume per interval of time. If the same number of molecular collisions in a gas occur over a longer period of time, the energy of the system is reduced. If the rate that time passes also slows down, then there is a reduction in the energy of the system but locally it will be impossible to detect the effect. Similarly the energy of a photon is directly related to its frequency, if the frequency slows down and the rate by which time passes also proportionally slows down, there is no relative loss of energy. The rate that time passes is continuously slowing down, but there is no way for us locally to measure it since all the clocks around us are also slowing down.

The fluid like nature of time seems to be at the heart of this issue.

Snowflake