We are so accustomed to having time as the independent variable that it takes effort to think of it as the dependent variable. This reflects the Newtonian absolute time. But either time or space can be an independent variable. The Einsteinian the use of simultaneity is another reflection of the independence of time.
If time is a dependent variable with space, that is, length is the independent variable all this changes. Either space becomes the absolute or colocation replaces simultaneity. And clocks are not imagined to be everywhere, ticking off the relentless time of change. Instead, rulers are imagined to be always there, unceasingly measuring change. Where are the clocks? They must be positioned in relation to the rulers.
Independent space is parameterized; it is the trajectory of a particle, vehicle, or other object that is moving. Dependent time is no longer parameterized; it is the full range of geometric possibilities in 3-dimensional time. Everything is switched around.
What does absolute space or time mean in practice except that they are independent variables? If they are independent, then they are not related to other variables, so they must be absolute.
Every measureable value that goes into the denominator is implicitly independent, and so absolute. How can we prevent this from misleading us? We should allow either spatial or temporal variables in the denominator. By switching between them, we can show how they are completely relative.