We unconsciously hail our endless to-do lists as being occupied is something to be proud of. We associate accomplishments and rewards with the work and efforts that trigger them, and rightfully so. Now think of this: Dangote still works despite being the richest man on the African continent, and so does Elon, who is one of the richest people to ever exist. Even after attaining and maintaining affluence, successful people still spend time working; why?

I think that apart from relentless determination, once you get used to filling holes in your schedules with tasks and other goals, it becomes increasingly harder to sit still. We see this in our day-to-day lives with the habitual aim of getting things done as quickly and hopefully as effectively as possible because we all know something will inevitably come after. All the work and grind of life make it more difficult to feel the pace at which time is passing. Time is always there but we don’t always necessarily acknowledge it because what’s the point of keeping track? You can argue that ‘keeping track’ actually wastes time. We utilize all the spaces in between the numbers on the clock because we have to; time itself is not a matter of choice, but how we spend time is.

With time’s ephemerality, we may feel this pressure to do everything we believe needs to be done as hastily as can be, before it’s too late. But how do we define ‘too late’? What scale do we use to measure that? An interesting paradox is that time eventually runs out yet there is still enough time. No one knows everything the future holds, and I’m not referring to the next ten years or months, but even tomorrow - we can’t accurately predict every single thing that will occur at a specific time or day. From this view, we should find comfort in being occupied as the things we do today could culminate in benefits for a future we do not yet know.

Nevertheless, the time spent not working is also crucial as we know even God rested on the seventh day. For obvious reasons pertaining to your mental and physical health, your repose shouldn’t be ignored and your spare time should not be taken for granted. After all, work is great, but so is spending time with yourself, your family, going on trips, shopping, etc.

Time is impermanent, but so is everything that exists. We’re lucky enough to experience and spend it as best as we can, making it one of the greatest gifts of life.

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Until the next one,

-C