The Issue of Time

We often complain about different and assorted particular wastes of time. Computer Games, Cable TV, but then we spend hours watching YouTube videos or reading technology blogs.  (or wasting a day playing in Google Wave)

So what is a good use of time? Work is good, but we denigrate anyone who works all the time. This is not what we want. Our goal is most often to find some way to create residual income so that we can stop working. Or rather work when we want to, on what we want to.  As it stands work often keeps us from doing that which we enjoy.  Yet always doing that which we enjoy gets us labeled as Addicted, Couch Potato, and Hedonist.

Effective use of time seems to need to consist of some kind of balance.  This could say something about obsession. However, it is also said unless you become obsessed/passionate over something you will never have the wherewithal to keep going in face of all that rears up against you. Without Passion how can you ever become a world class bobsledder, achieve level 80 in World of Warcraft, or learn to play John Schmidt as it is meant to be played.

Be passionate but not obsessed, focused but not addicted, specialize but remain practical. This begins to get confusing, is it a good use of time to spend a week deciding what is a good use of my time?

I begin to believe that there is no correct way to use my time effectively, in fact everything is a waste of time to someone. Family is a waste of time says the career oriented person. Girls are a waste of time says the rejected man. Work is a waste of time says the guy living in his parent’s basement.  As is art, television, sports, movies, religion, school and blogs.

The use of time is one of our biggest and perpetual problems. Our time is our major non-renewable resource. Time is the real currency. It is not one we can stockpile, not one we can earn. It cannot be saved it is slowly and constantly metered out to us. We can exchange it for money, pleasure, sleep, learning, or a mansion in Heaven. We cannot exchange it, save it or buy more of it. Every hour of every day we must use it.

So time use is subjective, if you think spending all day playing video games is a good use of your time then have at it. Carry on. But at the end of the day, the week, when someone asks you ‘What have you been doing?’ you should be able to look back and say yes this is what I did, instead of shuffling our feet and promptly avoiding their question. We need to be happy with where we are.

And where we are going.

“A particular train of thought persisted in, be it good or bad, cannot fail to produce its results on the character and circumstances. A man cannot directly choose his circumstances, but he can choose his thoughts, and so indirectly, yet surely, shape his circumstances.” – James Allen,  As a Man Thinketh

As thoughts shape our future so does our actions, premeditated and accidental. What do we do with our time every day forms and changes what our options are in the days to come. You cannot choose your circumstances but you can shape them.

Now for something a little humorous, I ran across this idea a handful of months ago and threw it into a talk I wrote for church, but since it seems that the powers that be don’t want me talking in church I will give it a second life here. Plus I feel that it fits well in this idea of using time properly, especially for you religious type folk out there. Answer these questions for me please.

By the raising of the hand, how many of you believe that the Bible is the inspired word of God?

How many have read the whole Bible?

Ok, how many have read the Harry Potter Series?  Lord of the Rings? Twilight?

Here is a quick word count

Number of words in the Bible (KJV) is between 774,746 - 789,626
 Twilight - 575,710 words
Lord of the Rings - 525,405 words
And Harry Potter a staggering 1,090,739 words.  That is like reading the bible one and a half times, or reading the Old Testament once and The New Testament three times thru.