Time

My examination of 'Time'

A. Time in our everyday lives

i. Obviously time is a part of our everyday lives. Time doesn't have a beginning or an end because it is always on-going. From when we open our eyes in the morning to when we go to bed at night; the clock is continuously running. Time can be a conflicting matter because in certain cases, it seems as though time is not ours because we cannot fully control it. We cannot turn back time; we cannot speed or slow it down. Yet in other perspectives, time belongs to us because we are the ones that make decisions about what we do with our time. Whether we choose to use our time wisely or whether we waste our time foolishly; we are somewhat, in this case, in "control" of our time.

ii. As mentioned before, time usage is dependent on the person who is using it. There are smart users and there are reckless users. Thus, time usage is not a easily agreeable topic because people differ in their belief of what "smart" time usage is. Some may believe that spending time on painting is relaxing and helpful to the soul, while some may believe that it is a complete waste of time, energy, and money. Some may believe that studying is a waste of time and effort because you are not living your life to the "fullest," yet there are those who would disagree and say that studying is enriching and beneficial.

iii. Time usage can also lead to the amount of time we believe we have. It seems as though the amount of time we think we have varies depending on where we are in our own timeline. When we're young, it feels like time is unlimited and we have an infinite amount of time to do what we want. We can play, we can study, we can simply just "live our lives." We are care-free and in a way, that is the beauty of youth; we are care-free of time. We do not need to worry too much about how much time we have to do something. Yes, we still need to learn to be punctual from a young age, but there is not a looming pressure over us. We do not have to deal with hard deadlines, bills, or work hours. However, as maturation catches up to us, we suddenly realize that all the time that we thought we had is unexpectedly running out. Not saying that as we all grow older, the closer we all are to death, but as we grow older we realize that time is starting to become more and more precious and time wasting would be foolish. They say that as you get older, the wiser you are. Although experience does make us wiser, time is what gives us those experiences. Thus, time is what makes us wiser. Now, there are exceptions to this idea. There are those certain individuals who face special cases where their time is ticking. Death is something that is inescapable and it is something that everyone is going to have to face. While many young people do not have to deal with the idea of death early on, there are certain people who do have to deal with it. This group of people range from all age groups. From too young to know any better to young adults who have just discovered their passions in life. These people are the people who understand early on that time is precious and that the time that is left should be used sensibly. Not everyone will use their time wisely, but I believe that once you really understand that time is not forever, you will start to want to make the best of what you've got.


B. The Pace of Time

i. Time can either fly, go on steady, or drag on. Maybe you have heard the saying that "time flies when you're having fun" and adversely time crawls when you're not having a good time. I think the pace of time depends on the person and the type of life they're living. Personally, I did not notice the pace of time until I reached college. My entire youth and teenage years felt very steady. I did not think that my time flew or dragged on. I believe this is due to consistency. My early years were very consistent and similar to one another. I always did the same things growing up. I always went to school, studied, and met the same people. No big changes happened from when I was born to when I was in high school. The biggest first change in my steady daily life was going to college. Leaving home and leaving my parents was probably the biggest challenge I faced. Being an only child, I depended on my parents for everything and my nest was everything to me. Once that change happened, many more changes began to take place in my life. As time went on and as more and more changes appeared in my life, I started to realize that my years in college were starting to fluctuate a lot. There would be certain periods when I feel like time is going by so quickly, but there would also be times when I feel like time was going by so slowly. When I was having fun with my friends or when test season came along, time seemed to go by faster. Oppositely, when I faced hardships such as heartbreak or when I was longing for something in the distance, time seemed to pass by slowly. Thus, when there is change in our lives, the pace of time in our lives changes as well.


C. Time's effect on us

i. It was mentioned before that if we know that our time is running out, we will want to make the best of what is left. I believe that this can effect our decisions about how we live our life. It is not always the case, but it seems as though older people and those who know that their time is running out are much more forgiving and kind. Someone who may have lived their entire life not being loving and instead were miserly can suddenly realize that being hateful is not a good way of using their time. They may realize that they should change their ways and enjoy life from a nicer point of view. As our times comes to an end, I believe that things may become more clear. Things that seemed important in the past are suddenly meaningless. The things that truly matter rise to the surface and people will want to use their time more preciously. Why spend your time and effort hating someone, when really you could spend that time and effort into loving someone who already loves you back.

ii. Time also has a healing factor to it. Many may come to see that time is the medicine that doctors cannot prescribe. A broken heart, a damaged friendship, a long-running feud are just some cases where medicine cannot heal. These cases are only cured through time and care. When a girls' heart is broken by her first love, it seems as though the world is spinning and that happiness will never come again. However, as time goes on, the pain level that started from a hundred can lessen slowly to non-existent. Although time does go slower because of the pain, time does eventually cure the pain of a broken heart. The girl will learn to accept the fact that the relationship is over and that moving on is the only road to take. When two best friends suddenly drift apart due to a fight, time is the only factor that can cure it. The friendship could either come back together or it could simply drift and eventually end. However, the feelings of regret and hatred from the fight will fade with time and simply become a memory. The individuals will later realize that the fight was small in scope and that there was nothing to really "hate" the other person for. Time can blurs fights and make us forget what we were even mad about in the beginning. Similarly, feuds can be blurred through time as well. Long-running feuds may take a little more time than a simple fight between friends, but none the less it will fade. The beauty of time is that it can blur and fade present-time situations into memories.

iii. Time can turn us into better people and time can heal our hearts. However, time can additionally make us crazy. Crazy in the sense that it is not easily understood. Who can tell whats going to happen in the future? No one. The future is unpredictable and the unknown can be scary. We only know the past. This is why many want to learn about the past so they know not to make the same mistakes in the future. Those are more present-time living people; they are aware that the past is unchangeable and the future is unpredictable. However, there are still those who are stressed about the future because they cannot learn to live in the present. I am one of these people. I've always been a planner and the future is a scary topic for me. I personally hate and am afraid of change. I know that the future holds many changes and this is one of the reasons why I am scared of it. I like knowing what is coming and it drives me crazy not knowing what time will throw at me. This is something that I have to deal with daily and it is something that I am trying to work on and fix.

What does time mean to you?

from Jackie