Time is Like Gravity

Time is like gravity. Both are fundamental aspects of the universe. And both can easily go unnoticed. We take them as a given. But there is always just the right amount of gravity, while there is never just the right amount of time.

Sometimes we stumble upon vast reservoirs of time. Long stretches where we have no obligations, no places to be, and no tasks to complete. When we encounter these stretches of time it fills us with promise. Great things can be accomplished.

But you have so much time to do them in, it doesn’t really matter if you start right away. You can mess around for a while. Plenty of time to watch TV, take a nap, or even just stare at the wall. You have so much time on your hands that you don’t do anything. And then you get bored.

The bounteous gift of abundant time turns into a curse. You whittle away the minutes, knowing you should get to work on that important project. But not quite yet. An abundance of time is like an abundance of food. You can’t eat it all, so most of it is spoiled.

Suddenly you realize you don’t have enough time at all. You have crossed the threshold from having to much time, into not having enough. There are so many things to do, and less time too do them in. Even eons will eventually give way to deadlines, and you find that boredom is replaced with stress. And like magic you will actually get a lot of work done.

The amount of work done is inversely proportional to the time available. The more time you have, the less work you will do. And vice versa.

Is it better to have a lot if time and feel like you can get a lot done, or to have a little time and actually do it?

In a world where we can measure everything with increasing accuracy, we will still never know exactly how much time we will need. There is always too much, or not enough. And nowhere in between.