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What is time? Printable Version PRINTABLE VERSION
by Richell Ganancial, Philippines Feb 23, 2008
Informal/Experiential Learning   Opinions
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Why is it that people tend to lose time even when on their feet? Why do we have to chase time? Why can’t we own it?

I usually wake up every morning at around 6:00am; have to drink three glasses of water to probably replenish all the liquid in my body already used and lost while asleep; need to wait for around forty-five minutes before taking in anything. This I usually follow by taking a bath. Taking a bath on holidays or the so-called “no work days” usually consumes around two to three hours. Well, at least with such I really feel satisfied cleansing the outer part of my body. However, during weekdays by waking up at around 6:00am I consume an hour to an hour and forty-five minutes. I never thought it was a big deal to spend so much time taking a bath because, as everyone believes, you really feel great, conditioned and confident.

So what makes it a big deal by the way? It is just the thought that I probably had wasted time, something I am unaware of?

Time is something you neither can take back nor hold. Once it comes it comes, while in just a blink of your eyes it’s gone without you knowing. It never can wait to have you savor its presence. As they said, time is gold. Definitely it is! Or should I say, time is something more than just gold or treasure. It encompasses all the most valuable possessions in this world.

Most of us just waste time and once consequence follow such a delay we blame someone, something or ourselves for not doing things while there was still time. It is such a great experience to have time, living in this world but the more time we spend here, the less that we are devoted to taking care of it. We have less time to appreciate the wonders and beauty of this world. We have less or no time to even say “thank you” to the people who have been with us throughout this time. We ignore them and the time they spend with us. And we always ignore the time to be grateful for “time”.

Once, I had time to be a child. I used to play and hang out with childhood friends. For every game we played, there was always a time to begin. As the game continued, some participants thought they could by holding on to the winning position as long as possible. They would shout, “Time-out!”

But is there really a time out? Does anyone have power to stop the clock ticking? Well, being kids, the feeling would come over us that time lasted too long or too short for some activity. It became an agony to wait for the sun to set, for classes to end, or for the day to be over so that night could be spent in beautiful, relaxing sleep. Alas! Time is so unfriendly that, every morning when the sun rises, you still want to be asleep. At some point we feel bad thinking that time runs too fast or too slow. With this, I guess, we are giving time no choice. We kill it but still want it to live. We toss it up and let it fly, but with strings attached so that we can pull it down whenever we want.

I guess everyone has experienced a situation where they really wanted to freeze time. Say, you wanted to be selfish by owning time, grabbing it and making it an easy way out of your frustrations and ill-feelings. When you feel embarrassed in front of your friends because of having said or done something unpleasant, chances are you would like time to stop so that you could turn it back and correct the action. By the time you move, hopefully, the people will have no memory of the repulsiveness of your actions. Time unwisely spent is like losing more than half of your life.

While children, we always look forward to a time when we grow old so that we can do and think the things that oldies do, say or think by ourselves. But once you grow old, you look backwards to the time when you were still a child with innocent deeds, words and thoughts. The feeling is like that of a mountain climber who rushes to climb to the highest peak of the mountain, but once on the top wants to go down quickly.

Thinking back to all the things that happened to us would be the best way to appreciate the time past, thereby wiping out the misconceptions about the time we have. Though, in our meditation, we might end up appreciating those moments we will have more appreciation for the present and for the times to come in our life.

Things done are already done and no amount of time can make them undone. In this life there are those times we lately realized to be memorable and want to bring back. And there are those times we want to forget. Time is still the element of waiting as it heals something broken in the past.

Time is the most expensive thing if we can call it that. It signifies certainty. It is certain that one will smile because it is time to be happy, certain that someone will cry because the time of sorrow has come.

How do you feel time? Probably, for a worker, time is the need to finish her/ his report before the deadline. The pressure of time comes in many forms, and we often feel time is an enemy. Time is felt by a groom waiting for his bride to come for their wedding. Time is felt by someone who was left by a train, or by a swimmer who has just won a silver medal, and by someone who was late for his/ her job interview.





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