Time is of Essence

Someone explain to me why everything seems to be timed.

Exams are timed. Competitions are timed. Events are timed. Clocks are everywhere. Timing to the minute, to the second even. Has time always been so much of essence? A regimented lifestyle that does not allow for any scope of error. If one misses their time, what happens then? Does the whole universe work in unison to rectify by rescheduling and calculating; finding alternative time slots to fit your missed time in? It probably does not. Time works alone and it marches on. It allows you to catch it and make full use of it. People do not realise that it always walks with you though. We live in time; we breath time. Time is of essence, however, not in the way it is being currently being abused.

Time to reflect - what of that? Some would say that is time wasted. Others would agree and say but you multi-task. Reflect while doing something else, they say. Hardly reflection in my view.

How about, slowly but surely to get to the finish line. Was the tortoise really fooling us? It seems to be all about the hare now and learning from his mistakes. This time he will make it to the finish line. Many see the hare as a role model.

Better still practice, practice and practice again to get to that near perfect skill. Practice was a way of honing one's talent. Where does time fit into that? No time for those who are a little less incapable, some would say. If you need practice, you are just not good enough. There will always be someone else to replace you. Someone ready, able and willing to do what you still need practice on.

The world seems to be too impatient and irrational when it comes to mundaneness. There is just no time for time anymore. It is all about a race. Who can get there faster. Who can beat their opponent without sacrificing quality. Nevertheless, quality has been sacrificed in one's life. 

They forget that time will not go away. It marches steadily to a rhythm and even pace. Some scientists would say that time does vary, so small that we hardly ever notice it. It is all relative though. The universe is a balanced place. We, however, make our lives unbalanced. We scorn time and look at it as our adversary. Think back to centuries ago when time was not so much of essence as it is today. Clocks played their role in telling the time of day. It was like an old friend, always there to fall back on when needed. Even before clocks, the light, moon and the stars were utilised as guidance. Today we are playing a game with time. We think of ourselves as the hare and time, the tortoise.

Time has always been our ally but like many things today, we misunderstand it. Catching a glimpse of time to reflect is all about creating a unique sense of well-being. Enjoying the journey one conscious step after the other, time gives us the little gifts and experiences that would normally shoot past if we otherwise sprint to get to the finish line. Slowly but surely is all about the journey, not the destination. We never heard of what happened to the hare when he stumbled. Did he live a life of bitterness and self-reproach for all the things he missed out on afterwards. Ask the tortoise and he will tell you of perseverance. Time gave him the chance to smell the roses on the way. He still made it to the finish line in the end. Time is of essence in terms of our quality of life. We will all get to the finish line, sooner or later but will we all get to smell the roses on the way.