Time: "the indefinite continued progress of existence and events in the past, present, and future regarded as a whole."
In the United States and many other places in the world the ticking of a clock is always present. Even if you don't think your conscious or subconscious recognizes time believe me it does. You know that saying "time flies"? Well does it? I mean obviously it's just a figurative saying because time can't FLY, but what does that saying really mean? That life is just happening quickly and we don't take time to sit and reflect about what is actually going on around us? "being on time" or "staying on time"in Chile is less revenant than I've ever experienced before. I have professors that have shown up half an hour late to class or ended class ten minutes early, or both. Some Chilean students have just left class in the middle of a lecture. The buses don't run on a schedule and you can't find any info online about them. Mass always starts a few minutes late, restaurants close for a few hours on Saturday afternoon. I'm convinced the Chilean postal service just picks days they choose to deliver mail and other days just holds onto the mail. Mom told me something the other day that rings so true; she said "I think that's the biggest thing you've learned down there. How to be at the mercy of others. Going along with whatever comes your way." It's true. Going along with the public transportation, the countless strikes of the postal service, trash men, registration offices, and school where classes may be cancelled last minute or professors may come late.
I think I enjoy what I have been able to experience here and have really learned to just slow down. I find myself walking quickly on the sidewalk until I catch up with a group of chatty teenagers and at their mercy I walk behind them with a slower pace. Or when I see a grandma and I catch up to her and it's almost like a punch to the face, when I am forced to slow down and take in all that's around me. We live in a world where everything is trying to be sped up. We speed read, speed date, speed walk all in hopes of getting more done. My life has been go, go, go since I was 5 years old and that was incredibly emphasized in middle and high school when I was up at 5am to ice skate and mom would turn my lights off at midnight while I was studying if I wanted to skate again the next morning. In college that continued as I spent countless nights watching the sunrise and taking power naps on the floor of my freshmen dorm lounge at 3am. I'd walk around campus with my iPhone sending emails on my way to class and making phone calls during breaks. I'd eat meals with my laptop open so I could study for a test. I'd be in the car going skiing studying flash cards. This isn't to say that these habits are bad because I think I've accomplished quite a few things in my 20 years, but it's like living in the fast lane 24/7. I've always said I love everything I do. I love tutoring, skating, playing lacrosse, skiing, working out, organizing events, volunteering, etc. but it's easy to get caught up in the rush.
Here I sit without a phone and stare into a friend's eyes when having lunch because there are no other distractions. I walk down the sidewalks and look at the flowers and smell the bbqs and listen to the blaring soccer games on tv roaring out people's windows instead of being fixed on an iPhone. I stay in bed because it's okay to not be awake by 8am on the weekends.
I'm sure I'll continue to go back to my life being busy, busy but I'll be more conscious of time. I'll realize how important it is to just be present in the moment. I think being present only improves relationships with friends, coworkers, family, etc. And after all, the world needs more love and compassion.
I recently watched this Ted Talk and Carl Honoré sums it up perfectly. It's really, really worth taking the time to watch it. He discusses the view of time in the west saying we have an idea that " You either use it or lose it. Time is money" If time is scarce do we have to speed up our lives to do more with that time or just enjoy what we are already doing? Is it possible to slow down and still enjoy our lives and have adrenaline rushes without being overloaded and constantly on the run? I'd like to think so.
In the United States and many other places in the world the ticking of a clock is always present. Even if you don't think your conscious or subconscious recognizes time believe me it does. You know that saying "time flies"? Well does it? I mean obviously it's just a figurative saying because time can't FLY, but what does that saying really mean? That life is just happening quickly and we don't take time to sit and reflect about what is actually going on around us? "being on time" or "staying on time"in Chile is less revenant than I've ever experienced before. I have professors that have shown up half an hour late to class or ended class ten minutes early, or both. Some Chilean students have just left class in the middle of a lecture. The buses don't run on a schedule and you can't find any info online about them. Mass always starts a few minutes late, restaurants close for a few hours on Saturday afternoon. I'm convinced the Chilean postal service just picks days they choose to deliver mail and other days just holds onto the mail. Mom told me something the other day that rings so true; she said "I think that's the biggest thing you've learned down there. How to be at the mercy of others. Going along with whatever comes your way." It's true. Going along with the public transportation, the countless strikes of the postal service, trash men, registration offices, and school where classes may be cancelled last minute or professors may come late.
I think I enjoy what I have been able to experience here and have really learned to just slow down. I find myself walking quickly on the sidewalk until I catch up with a group of chatty teenagers and at their mercy I walk behind them with a slower pace. Or when I see a grandma and I catch up to her and it's almost like a punch to the face, when I am forced to slow down and take in all that's around me. We live in a world where everything is trying to be sped up. We speed read, speed date, speed walk all in hopes of getting more done. My life has been go, go, go since I was 5 years old and that was incredibly emphasized in middle and high school when I was up at 5am to ice skate and mom would turn my lights off at midnight while I was studying if I wanted to skate again the next morning. In college that continued as I spent countless nights watching the sunrise and taking power naps on the floor of my freshmen dorm lounge at 3am. I'd walk around campus with my iPhone sending emails on my way to class and making phone calls during breaks. I'd eat meals with my laptop open so I could study for a test. I'd be in the car going skiing studying flash cards. This isn't to say that these habits are bad because I think I've accomplished quite a few things in my 20 years, but it's like living in the fast lane 24/7. I've always said I love everything I do. I love tutoring, skating, playing lacrosse, skiing, working out, organizing events, volunteering, etc. but it's easy to get caught up in the rush.
Here I sit without a phone and stare into a friend's eyes when having lunch because there are no other distractions. I walk down the sidewalks and look at the flowers and smell the bbqs and listen to the blaring soccer games on tv roaring out people's windows instead of being fixed on an iPhone. I stay in bed because it's okay to not be awake by 8am on the weekends.
I'm sure I'll continue to go back to my life being busy, busy but I'll be more conscious of time. I'll realize how important it is to just be present in the moment. I think being present only improves relationships with friends, coworkers, family, etc. And after all, the world needs more love and compassion.
I recently watched this Ted Talk and Carl Honoré sums it up perfectly. It's really, really worth taking the time to watch it. He discusses the view of time in the west saying we have an idea that " You either use it or lose it. Time is money" If time is scarce do we have to speed up our lives to do more with that time or just enjoy what we are already doing? Is it possible to slow down and still enjoy our lives and have adrenaline rushes without being overloaded and constantly on the run? I'd like to think so.
No comments:
Post a Comment