Tyranny of Time

It is sad, we spend our lives chasing deadlines and limited time opportunities.

We fill every waking moment from start to finish with endless "productivity".

Our culture measures data that is all about efficiency and time saved. Yet, any time "saved" is just spent up again in the crazy rush.

When we view our world through quantifiable terms, we invariably commoditize it. We are told over and over again, "Spend your time wisely and don't waste it!"...as if it were something we really owned.

The deeper issue though with commoditizing our time is that it gives us permission to put up the blinders to the world around us. We too easily fall into the excuse that we don't have time to look out for the interests of anyone else besides ourselves.

When we fall for the false narrative pushing the scarcity of time, it incentivizes us to take shortcuts. Shortcuts in building authentic relationships, shortcuts in learning a craft deeply, shortcuts in our morals...the list could go on and on.

These shortcuts may increase the quantity of our time, but will in due course reduce to rubble the quality and impact our time may ever have had on others. Before too long I hope we may realize that our quality of life is independent of time, but wholly dependent on each other.

Deep, genuine relationships are the colorful strokes by which we cover our life's tapestry. Without them dust will be the only coating our lives will accumulate.

I'll finish with a quote by Albert Schweitzer:

"I don't know what your destiny will be, but one thing I do know the only one's among you who will be really happy are those who have sought and found how to serve."       

Let us not submit to the tyranny of time, but find freedom in the service of others!