“Free Time” – or No Time for Freedom?
The other day I caught myself saying to a friend:
Ya, I’ll get to it when I have free time …
What a concept no? Free – Time? It’s a statement that immediately presumes that time is occupied. Time is Expensive, as if it’s a tool to be wielded or a possession to be owned; lol hello to all you time-managers out there!
As a disclaimer I should say we are discussing perceived spatial time by humans here, this is not a post on quantum physics and the physical dimensions of the universe. When referring to how we view time, the intention is to provoke questions on how we rationalize and organize the actual hours that we are awake during a day. All of which can be a bit curious when you really stop to analyze the conditions of time, of social interaction, and of the purpose and quality of life. However, it’s all completely normal when you don’t, which more often than not is what we do. As a society, we don’t autonomously or creatively analyze enough or much at all, probably because we’ve learned to manage our time better than that :-/.
In fact, the majority of readers who inhale this post within a crisp one minute interval (before having to run back to their “responsibilities”), may find this message overstated, meaningless, and immature.
Herbert Marcuse, a very influential French philosopher in my life, historically discussed the power of over – rationilization within the fabric of a society. The depicted reaction above would fall under this notion of “over-rationalization”. The things that we do in our lives, the daily tasks, schedule, and general thought process, become as ritualistic as items packaged every morning in a factory’s conveyor belt. The point of this post is difficult to fit into a bit-size-press, but here is the moral: wake up, make time, and be sure to creatively think, laugh, cry as much if not more, than you rationally operate!
I am at a point in my life where the pressures of personal finances, marriage, and business are breathing down my throat each morning. If your like me, our goal at this point should be to focus on the small things that bring us joy, especially if it’s not harmful to others, simplistically pure, and gratifying to the soul. Sure sounds like hippie talk, but wisdom shines from the most unlikely of spaces, and as it does, even labels cannot suppress the visibility of it’s reflection.
Yes we live in a capitalistic society, and time is equivalent to money in such a setting. One of my older cousins once said to me:
“Mikey, who are you to change the world?”
At the time my response was convoluted, but today my response would be such: I am a man with an idea and a lot of wherewithal to fuel it with. Change is such an illusive topic, it depends on how you choose to measure change. We live in too small of windows in history, perhaps if we could live 200 or 500 years we’d have a different concept of “change”. It begins with a principle, and carries through with consistent and unconditional advocacy for that principle. In my mind, whether or not the end result is experienced to it’s full expectation is not as relevant as it may be to others. I conclude that the change itself is within the realization of that principle, and the effort, energy, and of course time, that the idealist places into fulfilling that principle.
The world’s pace can through one’s natural ability to form perspectives and idea’s about their relations with others and their existence itself, into a big blender called discipline. Discipline is very much necessary and valuable. however, without balance, it can be deadlier than a stealth poison who’s harm produces few visible symptoms. Remain balanced in your discipline, and make time for freedom!
Until Next time Folks,
Michael Bhrad: Web Marketing Consultant at Ensight
Michael Bhrad: Mighty Mike's "WISE"-Cracks 
Time is money …