Albert Einstein is attributed to have said that 'time and space are not conditions in which we live, but modes in which we think'.
In pyschology, time is usually perceived as a river with strong currents, which eventually sweeps away everything that's on it.
The science fiction author Ray Cummings, wrote in one of his works that time is nature's way of keeping everything from happening at once. And Hector Berlioz depicts time as a great teacher, but unfortunately, it kills all of its pupils.
What do sociologist have to say about time? Well, time is the wisest counselor of all, said Pericles, a Greek politician and general.
Although, Benjamin Franklin wasn't neccesarily a sociologist, he's viewpoint on time as money can be explained through a social context.
Which is, time is a valuable resource that can be used to earn money, and that spending it carelessly is equivalent to losing money.
Objectively And Subjectively
It's no secret that we view and experience time differently, despite it being objectively the same for all of us.
A way to approach the topic of time and money is to compare and contrast their objective and subjective aspects.
Objectively, both time and money can be quantified, exchanged, and allocated. This in a way makes them scarce resources that have opportunity costs, in which choosing one option means giving up another.
If I spend an hour watching a movie, I cannot use that hour for studying or working. Likewise, spending $10 on a pizza will mean that money cannot be used to buy a book or save for the future, for example.
Scarce resources can be very hard to replace once they have been consumed. But seen from another viewpoint, a difference between time and money is that we can somehow regain the money we lost but it is hardly the case with time.
Subjectively, time and money have different meanings and values for different people, as echoed on the introduction. In some cases, it's a personal preference. But it could also depend on the circumstance we find ourselves in.
Young people tend to value money more than time. The reverse is usually the case for old people, i.e valuing time more than money.
Logical thinking tells us that one of the reasons is because young people have abundant time with little to no money, while old people, comparatively, have more money than time at their disposal.
This hints at people valuing what they lack more than what they already have. Which I think is a premise for suffering when pushed to the extreme. But wisdom teaches us that a remedy for this type of suffering is gratefulness.
Another objective-subjective aspect about time and money that I find interesting is the relationship between both resources and happiness.
Essentially, happiness is a subjective feeling of well-being that can be triggered or influenced by many factors.
Such as health or wealth, accomplishments, relationships etc.
A general perception is the view that having more time or money can make us happier. Which leads us into thinking that we may need to sacrifice one for the other to become happier, since we can hardly have both.
Spending money on experiences rather than material goods can increase genuine happiness, and focusing our time on meaningful activities rather than passive leisure naturally enhances our well-being.
This introduces choice as a way of becoming happier, depending on how we use these two resources(time and money).
In Closing
Arguably, time and money are two of the most important resources in our lives. We can measure, trade, and spend both in various ways.
And they each have different meanings and values for different people, depending on several factors.
Happiness is not necessarily determined by how much time or money we have, but by how we use these resources.
As the famous author Mark Twain said, “Don’t go around saying the world owes you a living. The world owes you nothing. It was here first.”
Perhaps, we can apply the same attitude to time and money in the realm of happiness. Which is, appreciating them as gifts rather than entitlements.
Thanks for reading!! Share your thoughts below on the comments.
I agree with you because the value of time and money is very subjective to the person who views it. Since we can have those things but could appreciate it very differently, with all the factors that could happen in each individual.
!LUV
Exactly, the factors that could happen often play a huge part on how we view these two resources. The experience of time moving fast or slow depending on what we're doing during the moment is particularly revealing. Sometimes, I wonder if time is really a construct of our collective imagination :)
Thanks for stopping by :)
You are very correct when you said that we should appreciate time and money as gifts and not as entitlements.
The need to have more of both has led to serious suffering for those who can't seem to acquire it. I hope this point sticks with us, gratefulness is the key to happy living
Yes, I think this need for them can lead to suffering when we don't have both. Interestingly, both of them seem fleeting in a sense that they're not fixed or stable. Money comes and goes, so also is time.
Thanks for stopping by :)
My pleasure
Yay! 🤗
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