04 December 2011

Time and Life

          A second, a minute, an hour and a day, time moves constantly and continuously like a never-ending thread. There are different terms used for time, but what exactly is time?


            Time is an elusive phenomenon that records changes in society. It has no literal definition but Science defines it as a measurement. But what exactly does time measure? According to Science Daily (2005), time is represented through change and change can be observed through motion. The circular motion of the moon around the earth tells us whether it is morning or evening. Some people have questioned the span of time and whether it lasts forever, here is a theory mentioned in Science Daily (2005) “According to the general theory of relativity, the development of space may result in the collapse of the universe. All matter would shrink into a tiny dot again, which would end the concept of time as we know it.”(University of Helsinki, 2005, para. 4)


            We all have our own definition of time. As for me, when I think about time, the first thing that pops into my head is that time is important in our lives. We need to treasure it. It is a guidepost for the past, present and future. The past reminds us of our mistakes and experiences in the past. These memories transport us back in the past and remind us what we were and why we are here now. Dreams, however, pull us to the future. It tells us of the millions of possibilities we can achieve. Irons (n.d.) quoted, “We all have our time machines. Some take us back, they are called memories. Some take us forward, they are called dreams” In this quote, I think he failed to mention the importance of the present. The present gives us choices. It gives us the choice to make up for our mistakes in the past or to stay chained to the past and the choice to work for the future we dream of or to neglect the future. So whether it is the past, present or future, they are all important guideposts in our lives. We need to treasure each moment of our lives.


            Time, despite being abstract, can be used as a commodity. It is used as a resource everyday by everyone. A good example of this is the time we spend on studying. In exchange for a bright future, we use 6 years of our lives in grade school, 4 years in high school and approximately 4 years in college. The time spent on our education is our investment for the future. As quoted by MacKay (n.d.), “Time is free, but it’s priceless. You can’t own it, but you can use it. You can’t keep it, but you can spend it. Once you’ve lost it, you can never get it back.”


               We can also spend time in different ways like giving it as a gift. I think time is the best gift you can give to the people you care about since it is priceless and it can never be taken away. Even though time is limited, we can still use it to our advantage. In her quote about timing, Stacy Charter mentioned that with enough patience, the unattainable becomes attainable and the unreachable becomes reachable. Nowadays, television and radio stations even sell time. They charge advertisements based on its duration. Balter (2008) stated that “Time has become the ultimate commodity. We can’t make more of it, and there’s never enough.” In Economics, wasted time can be considered an opportunity cost. For example, a restaurant that opens at 12:00 p.m. loses the opportunity to sell more during the time it is close.


               Time is very precious. It moves along as we continue to live. It changes as we change. We use time as we use ourselves. When we share our time with our loved ones, we share our lives. We only get one shot in life just as we only have this time to do what we want and live our lives. Time is life itself. Don’t waste it. Bloch (n.d.) once said, “We say we waste time, but that is impossible. We waste ourselves.”


References:
Balter, D. (2008). The True Value of Time. Media Post. Retrieved November 20, 2011 from http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/84789/the-true-value-of-time.html

Bloch, A. (n.d.). We say we waste time... Retrieved November 20, 2011from http://thinkexist.com/quotations/time/3.html

Irons, J. (n.d.). We all have our time machines... Retrieved November 20, 2011 from http://thinkexist.com/quotations/time/2.html

McKay, H. (n.d.). Time is free... Retrieved November 20, 2011 from http://thinkexist.com/quotations/time/
University of Helsinki (2005). What Is Time?. ScienceDaily. Retrieved November 20, 2011 from      http://www.sciencedaily.com­

2 comments:

  1. The author talks about the importance of time. Time is really precious. We should use it wisely, for our time is our LIFE itself. So if we waste time, we also waste ourselves.

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  2. Interesting insight on your topic. Love those quotes. They're so inspirational. Detailed and credible and relevant sources. Good job.

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