Those of us who are isolating for the greater good suddenly have time in an amount we never had before. The crosswords, sudoku, jigsaw puzzles and novels are out on our tables and I think this surplus of time makes us uniquely uncomfortable. Our attitude to time and its use is informed by many forces including our Protestant work ethic, our religion and the awareness of our own mortality. I wonder if it is even possible to waste time.
Our culture tells us that an investment of time should produce a profit. if you sit at the piano long enough your ability to play Chopin is the payoff. If you show up to work and perform your tasks a check will reflect your time and its perceived value. We are bookkeepers of time and we expect a robust return on our investment. Sloth is one of the seven deadly sins. Our religious teachers tell us that the proper use of time will get us closer to god. Finally, we see our lives as a limited run and we commit to seeing countries, mastering everything from the piccolo to golf and other achievements before our time runs out.
Is it really possible to waste time? Bertrand Russel once quipped ” the time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time.” I agree. Whether you are a cancer researcher or a bird watcher who can say that you have wasted your time. Cancer wins and birds migrate… If it hadn’t started to rain Noah would have been the largest time waster ever. From Aesop to Ben Franklin and on to our own day we are constantly reminded to save our pennies for that rainy day.
Often we spend too much time in the search for perfection. We exhaust ourselves – and others – by our demands on their time. There is a better way.
Emerson said it well: This time, like all times is a very good one, if only we but know what to do with it. ” The hard chargers and the goal setters spend their time like currency; they make down payments on the future. Others just don’t roll that way. They chase the butterflies. So, enjoy your time and if you play solitaire or take up a hobby I – for one- will not judge. I like the wisdom of Mark Twain: ” never put off until tomorrow the thing you can do the day after tomorrow.”
OOH ! I just saw a butterfly.
Olio Folio 