Is time precious?

Powderhorn Wilderness, CO.  credit thearmchairexplorer.com

     Scott Stillman, in his 2018 book “Wilderness: gateway to the soul”₁, raised a profound question in a very casual way.  He asked “Is time precious?”  

     I do believe that very likely a majority of westerners – US, Canada and Europe – would reply with a resounding “of course”.  Why would they do that?  Because we’ve all been taught since childhood that ‘time is precious. You don’t waste time’.  How many times in your life have you heard someone say or tell you ‘time is precious’.  I don’t want to get off the subject, but this is very typical of a capitalistic, consumer society.  We have been taught a concept of time as an entity that is fixed and can be wasted.  Not doing something which contributes to the promotion of the capitalistic consumer society is considered a waste of time.  But what is time? Really. 

     Martin Heidegger, the famous German philosopher of the early twentieth century, wrote a book in 1927 entitled “Sein und Zeit”  (Being and Time) which spends 529 pages making an ontological argument about the relationship between being and time.  Albert Einstein’s General Relativity (1905-1915) basically destroyed our simplistic concept of time as a fixed entity.  Most people think a minute is a minute is a minute.  Einstein showed that space and time are intertwined and that gravity causes masses; e.g. the Earth; to warp space-time around them.  In other words, time is not a fixed entity.

    So, what do we have?  We have those who believe time means taking action which is beneficial to the capitalistic-consumer society, we have those who relate it to our finite existence and those who see it as a factor in relation to gravity and space.  Wow!   The only one who calls time “precious” is the one who is benefiting from the labor which you contribute to their wealth and success. 

     In my mind this is all calling into question whether or not one can waste time.  If one’s life is as happy and content as possible, can we accuse that person of wasting time no matter what they do or do not do?  Whether or not we waste time is obviously a subjective determination dependent upon who pulls your strings.  If you are a good child of modern capitalism, it is that society that is convinced that we must do everything possible to contribute to the capitalistic society no matter what it does to us personally. No matter whether we find life happy or content.  

     That, of course, still doesn’t answer the question of whether time is precious?  I like Scott Stillman’s answer as he shares his experience of Powderhorn Wilderness, Colorado.

   "Is time precious?  What's more precious, time or the present moment?  Up here clock time is gone. Distractions are gone. In their place - peace, pure essence.  The essence of life.  I'm content to let things be as they are. If it rains let it rain. If it's windy let it blow. Everything I need I have.  There is nothing else to even decide, apart from should I eat, should I drink, should I pee?  Besides basic survival nothing has to be done at all.  The brain takes a well-deserved rest and meditation becomes my reality. What if there were a secret back-door portal to enlightenment?  A shortcut, so to speak. I believe that the answer lies here, in wilderness."  (p. 44)

    If you were expecting me to give a definitive answer, I’m sorry to disappoint you. Like so many things in life, you must experience to understand and find the answer for yourself.  Fortunately, we still have wilderness in North America that hasn’t been given to some corporation to mine, drill or otherwise destroy for the sake of profit. Wilderness where you will find what you cannot find in the chaos of modern life. Wilderness filled with peace, tranquility and enlightenment. Go and learn the answer for yourself.  It will give you new life and save your soul.  

FOOTNOTES:

1.      Stillman, Scott. (2018). Wilderness: gateway to the soul.  Boulder, CO.  Wild Soul Press.  (available on Kindle)