Waste of Time
Time
is money. We’ve all heard the saying many
times and in North America this is a reality day in and day out. Time
tends to be viewed as a commodity in North America, something valuable that
must be well used and not “wasted.” This
sentence jumped out at me while reading Chapter 5: Cross-Cultural
Diversity. Without even knowing this
unspoken notion, I’ve been a participant in equating working time with success since
I was a kid.
Time
has never been on my side. I’ve been
trying to create, practice, develop, and better myself with very little
rest. There has always been a goal set
out before me…in elementary years I pursued play with a vengeance. There was never enough time and to sit idly
was the worst kind of punishment. “Relax”
or “take a break and read” would only take away from the time I had designated
to perfecting my throws, sinking my shots, and mastering a trick. As I entered into middle school, dreams of
becoming a professional athlete enticed me even more to never stop practicing
and continue with reckless abandon toward that goal. As high school came and went, holidays were
not designed for indulging in food and lounging around…they were perfect days
to press ahead of others by pulling the sled in the field nearby or lifting
weights to better myself. Time was my
motivator and my enemy at the same time.
All
of that productive time led to an achievement of playing at the next
level. I finally made it. I made it to the next level of time
scheduling and consumption. In order to
be the best at this level, every day became dominated by time in the gym, time
in the classroom, time in the training room, time at the dining table and time
on the practice field. All pieces of the
productive puzzle were scheduled to a science, so as not to waste a
minute. The harder you work, the more
hours invested the better you become, and in turn it may produce more
money. This is the American dream.
On the flip side,
I've never known how to relax. I don’t
really know how to do nothing. I’ve
heard about other cultures that value their relaxation, mental health, and physical
health above productivity and goal-attainment.
They are known to be happier, healthier, and appreciate and enjoy
relationships. There is an appeal
there. I am concerned about where I am
going and the long term effects on my health.
Youth can withstand almost anything, but I know this pace cannot be
upheld long term. I’ve seen and heard
from older generations the saying “money can’t buy time” and as I mature this
becomes more applicable and desirable to me.
How Different Cultures Understand
Time:
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