Ever wonder just exactly what time is and how the decisions we make, because of time, affect us in our daily lives? Our culture today is one where society actually seems to WORSHIP time. Yes...worship as in holds time in the highest regard. I find it fascinating how we constantly find creative ways to judge each other, (and ourselves!) based on how we use our time.
We say things like, "Wow! You got that project done in no time at all!" as if you are somehow better and more talented than the rest of us, with little or no consideration to the actual quality of the project itself. Or, "He does really great work but it takes him so much longer than everyone else" implying that his 'great work' is somehow discounted because of the amount of TIME it takes him to complete it.
We judge another's character by how well they 'manage their time'. If you have a tendency to arrive late to social functions then you are considered disorganized or even rude. If you arrive too early then you may be seen as 'overly anxious' and, oddly enough, also rude! If you are someone who typically arrives precisely on time you may be appreciated and even congratulated for 'always being on time'...so dependable, something we should all strive for.
We use phrases like, 'Time is Money', 'In the Nick of Time', 'Bad Timing', 'I've Got Too Much Time on My Hands', 'Ravaged by Time' and 'If I Only Had More Time', giving time absolute power and control over our lives and all of our experiences.
We chastise each other with comments like, "Aren't you a little young to be getting married?" and "Don't you think you are a little old to be going back to school?" And even (this is a really tough one for folks to look at but hey, this blog is about bringing difficult discussions to the table so....) "They DIED BEFORE THEIR TIME"
We develop ideals based on time that we impose onto one another. The ones that bother me the most are when we use our own perceptions of the importance of time to determine what is best for someone else's personal healing journey. When someone suffers a loss, be it the loss of employment, a divorce or the death of a loved one, at some point in their healing process we seem to decide for them that 'enough time has passed' and that they should stop moping about the lost job, or get back into the dating scene or, in the case of grieving a loss, 'be over it by now'.
So what, exactly IS time and who decided that it should have such absolute rule over human lives?
'
If we look at all the peoples of the world, we will see that since there are vast numbers of variations between cultures, then there are just as many differences to be discovered about how we all view and use time. These distinctions are made more obvious when comparing any modern city culture, with a more isolated, tribal culture like the indigenous peoples of many continents.
We can even find subtle differences within a culture. For instance, I recently spent some time in Ireland. It doesn't take long to notice that in general, the people of Ireland move at a slower pace than I am accustomed to experiencing here in the Northeast of the USA. While this was refreshing to be a part of, I noticed even further that when visiting a particularly remote area of Ireland, like any small fishing village on the west coast, things slow down even further. People are not in any particular rush to do or say anything. They take their time with everything, the food they prepare for us, the services they offer us and the stories they tell us providing, what I feel, is a much richer experience of everything we encounter. What would YOUR world look like if you, and all the people around you fostered such a relationship with time I wonder?
Today, my government has decided to give us all an extra hour of time by insisting we all set our clocks back for the 'benefit of all'. What will you do with your extra hour? I've decided to use mine to write this piece about time. And while I am finishing it up I am trying not to ruin this feeling of being given 'the gift of time' with thoughts of how my government will then TAKE this hour from me next spring when we are told to move our clocks forward. And I wonder, if time can so easily be bent, changed, given and taken on the whim and will of a government, then maybe time doesn't really exist but is just a man-made illusion after all.
As always, I welcome your thoughtful comments!
Love and Blessings to All,
Vicky
Vicky Edgerly
White Elephant Wisdom LLC
info@whiteelephantwisdom.com
www.WhiteElephantWisdom.com
Follow Vicky on Facebook!
Check us out on YouTube!
Click HERE for more inspirational and informative blog posts
No comments:
Post a Comment