noun: period; occasion
Prefer listening to reading? Just click below.
“Time marches us all equally to the same end” Pharos, Persona 3. This is a quote which has stuck with me since I first played the game in 2008: a simple, yet powerful reminder of how indiscriminate time is. Time is also (arguably) the most valuable resource we have at our disposal: its versatility cannot be matched, and – while there are certainly situations where tasks can be performed ahead of schedule – lost time can never be recouped. When it’s gone, it’s gone.
That said, while our society is inclined to treat time as nothing more than a commercial resource, it’s so much more than that. Time is a force of nature. In the face of time, we are all equally powerless; utterly at its mercy. Except, time has no mercy. It is a force of nature: immutable. “Time waits for no man” is a common expression, isn’t it? And with good reason. How many opportunities do we squander every day of our lives, never to come about again? How many of our finite – thus, by definition, precious – moments do we waste every single day?
That ever-elusive, proverbial “they” call procrastination the thief of time, and they certainly have a point. I dread to think how much time I’ve wasted and how many opportunities have passed me by while I considered, analysed, looked for problems and complications that were unlikely to ever come about, and generally thought about doing something instead of actually doing it. I’m sure a great many of you have fallen into the same trap, right? Any one – or all – of those moments that could easily have been the best of your life so far. But they weren’t, and now they never can be… Don’t worry about it, though, otherwise this one and the next won’t be either!
Another – oft overlooked – “thief of time” is (in most cases) a necessity in today’s society: gainful employment. What do we gain from it, really? Minimum wage in the U.K. is £12.21 an hour right now. Let’s double that, then round it up to a nice, simple £25 an hour. Let’s also forget tax and national insurance and whatever and just say £25 an hour for your time. “Time marches us all equally to the same end.” “Time waits for no man.” None of us know how long we’ll be on the mortal coil: I could die before I finish writing this post! £25 an hour. An hour of your life – perhaps your final hour – sat behind a desk or a wheel, standing around a construction site or in a kitchen, behind a counter or bar, lugging boxes around a warehouse for twenty-five pounds. Worth it? Could any amount of money truly be worth even a second of your precious, finite amount of time on this Earth? Now, if you enjoy your job, that’s a different story, but honestly, how many people get paid to do something they’d choose to do for free? Then again, we have created a society where money is essential for so many things that living with no income can cost just as much time, joy and experiences as working to earn money. I suppose finding the best way to walk this tightrope is what they mean when they talk about a “work-life balance”…
Another quirk of time is that its passage often presents a paradox. Despite its arbitrary, unyielding nature and how quantifiable and measurable it is, the passage of time can also appear extremely subjective. Who hasn’t heard the expression “time flies when you’re having fun” or “a watched kettle never boils”? Now, I will concede that if you watch a kettle (that’s functioning properly) it will eventually boil, but the process seems to take far longer than if you simply turn away, let alone if you actually do something. And who among us hasn’t asked with incredulity “is it that time already?” when we’ve been doing something we enjoy and someone mentions the time? One could make a case that these are more points of perception than the passage of time itself, but even if that’s the case, it doesn’t detract from how callous time is. Give us less of what we take pleasure in and longer dull, dreary moments? Cheers for that, Time, you’re my favourite force of nature!
Ironically, considering my infantile outbursts throughout this post at the unfairness of it all, that’s actually true: time is my favourite force of nature. However cruel the fleeting it can be, time is – without a doubt – a great motivator and a great healer. Without a rudimentary grasp of the passage of time, life as we know it simply wouldn’t exist. Speaking for myself, I wouldn’t have experienced half the things I have so far if I had all the time in the world to do them…
“Time washes away everything. Joy. Agony. Everything.” The protagonist’s diary, Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: another quote that has stuck with me for years. “This, too, shall pass” also resonated with me at a relatively young age. While I first heard it in an episode of Star Trek, I’m confident they were quoting someone in the episode, but I don’t remember clearly enough to attribute it. Regardless, these words of (subjective) wisdom have been a great comfort to me in times of emotional difficulty. There is always something new ahead, and whatever situation we’re in – be it good, bad or indifferent – will not last forever. This is non-negotiable. It is the nature of time.
On that happy note, dear reader, I bid you adieu, enjoy every moment as best you can, and don’t think too much!
If you enjoyed your time here and would like to subscribe to our newsletter, leave a comment or support our work, please see below.
+ Click Here to Support Our Words
Subscribe to be notified whenever we publish a new post. No fees. No fuss. No spam.
Wonderful yet again, it really makes you think, oh no I’m thinking too much now bah!!