Time is always happening and cannot be stopped no matter how hard we try. The concept is self evident. Minutes are made up of seconds, hours of minutes, days of hours and so forth and we watch this happen using clocks, diarys, newspapers and calanders. Despite all of this, we cannot say what happens as time passes. Time can sometimes only be represented by change. Change can occur in a matter of seconds or over a much longer period of time. In the past time was a sacred, religious and often ritualistic object. Is that the case now? Maybe.
Time may also be viewed as a social construct. Despite the fact that time is a set of measurable units, it is not always perceived in the same way. Time seems to go faster when you are with friends, or as the saying goes “when you are having fun”. 5 extra minutes in bed in the morning is far more valuable than 5 extra minutes on the bus, or in class. Conversely, when time drags is often when we lack stimulation or are waiting expectantly for somthing exciting or at least worth looking forward to.
In some situations time has no place for a reason. Casinos purposefully have no clocks, no windows and often no closing time. Other places seem to have nothing if not time, airport lounges, train stations, gyms. Even people can be classed by time; the Fast-paced and always busy people in comparison to those lazy or laid back people. In fact, time can, to different people be a huge economic commodity. I myself get paid by the hour, therefore an hours wages or the value of my time can either be spent, saved or shared.
Some societies do not even have words to communicate the difference between past and future. Time is not a liner construct but rather a collection of memories and dreams which are added to the human experience as life goes on. In contrast many societies can very specifically communicate the distance of time that has passed or will pass between events.
For many people now our western version of time; minutes, hours and days, dictate to us how and when we live our lives. We do not listen to our biological clock because out ticking watch or numbers on the wall say it is “too early to go to sleep” or “too late for breakfast.” We are ignoring the natural and most long term clock for the one that tells us when the news is on TV or when we have to go to work.
Time is, for some, (myself included) a topic of near constant worry.... Do I have enough time to do what I want? Am I running late? Am I using my time most efficiently? Why do I insist on wasting time?...and so on and so on. This often leads me to think about different kinds of sayings that we use or are exposed to every day that are based on societies thoughts about time: quality time, time is of the essence, running out of time, time management, time is money, killing time, it is about time, take time for yourself, time will heal, time’s up, dinner time, bedtime, time waits for no man, the time of your life and the list goes on. Time is a commodity – it is big business.
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