Proper Time as a Failed Ruler: An Ontological Critique of the Indexing–Labeling Confusion in General Relativity

This paper presents a formal reclassification of proper time within the Exo-Drifted Layer (EDL) framework. We demonstrate that proper time (tau) functions not as a generative ruler, but as a post-hoc trace accumulation. By separating discrete update indexing from operational labeling conventions, we identify a structural confusion in General Relativity (GR) between update order and coordinate-time assignment. The empirical success of GR is reinterpreted as a manifestation of trace-trace consistency under shared labeling conventions, rather than a direct measurement of generative dynamics. This deposit fixes the preprint and its source bundle (LaTeX + figures) as the current SSOT for citation and replication.