Thoughts on TIme

Our idea of time has gotten me thinking lately.  I have been paying closer attention to the metaphors we use to discuss time and its place in our day to day lives.  By nature, metaphors reveal and conceal things - basically they describe things but not perfectly or completely.  By drawing comparisons between time and other things, we learn more about some aspects of time but also realize that by shedding light on some aspects of time we cast a shadow on others.  The dynamic is at work the most when we try to describe elements of our lives that are somewhat abstract, intangible, or difficult to grasp.

So back to time.  We frequently use the metaphor, "time is money."   Think about how many money metaphors we use when talking about time.  To name a few, "how should I spend my time,"I want to invest my time in important matters,"I can save time by doing it a different way, "I need to better manage my time."  There are hundreds of different ways we utilize the metaphor "time is money."  I catch myself using this metaphor multiple times everyday, but I finally stopped to wonder one day - Is that really true?  Do I really think of time and money as being that similar?  In our society we are really focused on getting ahead, on making money, and therefore tend to be materialistic by nature.  I wonder if this idea of time is driven by our materialism.  I want to think of my time as something to enjoy, to experience, to exist in - not something to spend because then I am concerned with the return on my investment.  Namely, that whatever of whoever I spend my time on must make it worthwhile by giving me a return.

I am not sure how to think about time, but I know it requires more thoughtfulness on my part.  I wonder too, if we feel unproductive in part because of how we think about time as something we spend, invest, or use.  Therefore if we are not spending, investing or using it in a way that yields a return, it seems like a waste.  That sounds like a far cry from love and an even further cry from my heart.