Earlier today, I was waiting for the light to change, and across the intersection, I saw this woman get off the bus, then wait at the corner. The light was still ticking down the seconds (we have those countdown walk-signs) for her to cross one way - about 15 seconds - but she chose to stand there and wait to cross the other way eastward, then wait again to cross again southward to the opposite corner. In watching her, I was thinking: she could have easily have crossed the first light, 15 seconds was a generous amount of time for her to do so. She would have saved time.
But then, was she in a hurry? Did it matter? Did 88 extra seconds waiting make so much of a difference? That's when I started thinking further. How time, despite it being a measure on the clock, overall an accepted, sanctioned and designated allotment that rarely differs (as in every second is the same measure as the next), time itself is a measurement of perception.
I mean, once upon a time, having a computer process a command in 45 seconds was considered to be relatively fast. Now, if we need to wait even two seconds, we feel quite emphatically, a lag, or we feel that we're being slowed down.
What I thought to myself was that time is a measurement of how many things we can achieve, accomplish or simply execute.
Another example would be how back in the day we (as a species) had to walk far distances without the aid of mechanical transportation.Our parents or grandparents might have regaled us stories of waking up early and walking miles to get to school, and back. That was normal for them. Whereas, now, we have less time to do more. We take the car, we take public transport; and more often than not we become frustrated when we have to wait that extra bit longer because of traffic or delays. If we even considered making those hour-long walks back and forth everyday today...well, I'll leave that to your imagination.
But that's how time has somehow sped up, despite it being technically the same. Yeah we have place to be and things to do, but then again...the perspective makes you think about it, maybe just for a few seconds. I've tended to be an overall patient person. I don't fret waiting in lines, or push my way onto buses or subways. I enjoy taking long hour long walks to places people often take the car for. But yeah, I do have to admit, I get a little irritated when my net lags.
