What is time? As I check, the watch and microwave are a few minutes out, but they measure the same construct of time and its passing. As a thing time doesn’t exist. You cannot capture a handful of time, there is no physicality to it. We’re all too aware of its passing however. Thirty year olds fret over unfertilised eggs. Receding hairlines ask questions of youth. If you’re very lucky you’ll be in a state of flow, entirely ignorant of time passing because you are so absorbed in a task that brings enjoyment (something I’ve touched on previously by Czsitszentmihalyi) time seems to have ceased to exist as if banished from consciousness.
An easy mistake might be to think that if it were only possible to remain in a flow state, time would never pass by. I tried it, doesn’t work. Jokes aside, what does time really mean to us? Phrases like the following are frequently used:
- time is money
- what a waste of time
- show me the money and I’ll show you the time
- I don’t have the time
What do they actually mean when broken down? The semantic structure and intent of these phrases; what are they?
In essence time is about the most precious commodity a human being can have, despite never knowing how much of it we will experience. I use the word ‘experience’ because time is an experience rather than something we can ever actively own. No one owns time. If every time telling device were destroyed this instant, nothing would change except that you might read too much and miss a bus to work. Time here, in Edinburgh, is the same as time in Fiji or the South Pole. Time just happens.
Why do we have the phrase ‘time is money’? Because time is the most valuable thing you can expend on any activity, person or venture. Think of the time you donate to TV adverts. Minutes become hours over years of watching. How fruitless. You and I voluntarily gifted some of our finite and unpredictable resource. Unless some sort of rabid advertisement connoisseur, then that time is gone. Even if you don’t buy any of the products, consciously or subconsciously, your time went straight into their brimming pocket. The pocket is empty, but it’s full of time.
Time cannot be returned only given. Be wise and careful about who gets your time. And if you read this, thank you sincerely for it.
LionAroundWriting 
And all this “time” I thought I was the only one who thought this way. Great post.
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Many thanks. it’s always good to know there’s someone else out there who thinks in a similar vein. The trick is not to get too obsessive over it. Like, dammit, I just spent 10 seconds reading Justin Bieber’s biography.
Don’t be alarmed. I don’t own it.
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I nominated you for an award my friend. Should you choose to accept please follow the same format as in my post. Thanks, smiles
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I appreciate the nomination and the frequent visits and comments. However I’ll decline. I’m already behind on another one and need some time to write offline.
Thanks all the same, its always nice to be nominated.
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No problem. It’s time consuming to be sure. Blessings
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It has been and will remain, a privilege to share in your time. You are a blessing.
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You’re too kind 🙂
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Oh I love this – absolutely true. Time is our most precious gift and something that we offer people – that we can never ever get back.
Great post 🙂
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Merci beaucoup! And on a side note you’re my 200th follower 🙂
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Yay for 200th Follower!! Look forward to many more good reads 🙂
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Thank you!
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