Mr Skeptic

As Edtharan said, we use the distance between the events (which are points in spacetime) in the same manner as we use our meterstick to measure distance in space. This is exactly like choosing our unit vector in a coordinate system. It should also be noted that all observers must agree as to the order that events occur in, even if they do not agree on the spacing between events (that is, how fast they occur). Farsight, consider that space and time are linked through motion, such that if you understand any two of these terms, you understand all three: velocity is the derivative of distance with respect to time distance is the integral of velocity with respect to time time is the integral of 1/velocity with respect to distance For my part, I will not pretend to understand anything except the link between them.

With two magnets, you could only build an unstable configuration. You would need something to prevent them from just rotating and sticking together, like a stick so you can stack them on top of each other. I don't think that is what you wanted, but it is about all you can do.