time dictates our lives
Start writing a post
Student Life

It's About Time We Just Let Time Pass

Our culturally-conditioned obsession with time is a limiting force of oppression, but when we stop trying to control time, we somehow have more of it on our hands.

130
It's About Time We Just Let Time Pass
Arjun Thakkar

When I ran cross country and track and field in high school, having a digital watch was damn near essential to being on the team. You could get away with not having one, but the coaching staff would shout condescendingly about how you didn't care about the sport or weren't "captain material." Disregarding their comments, we needed the watches for their stopwatch function, so we could time and evaluate our workouts and races. Besides races and workouts, we also used them on our runs, stretches, core exercises, and icing routines. A watch really serves as a runner's swiss army knife, a versatile tool that gets them out of any messy situation and keeps them on the ground running.

That reliance on a watch got me wearing one all day and night, making its absence all the more jarring. When I broke my watch about a year ago and couldn't get a replacement for a couple months, I began to acknowledge how much time controls how I lived life.

Perhaps that sounds dramatic. After all, couldn't I just check the time on my phone or laptop or any of the hundred other sources that tell time? That's true, but the convenience of a watch, which merely requires a flick of the wrist to check, whereas lifting a phone to your face is a somewhat more cumbersome act that—although nearly effortless—still can't compete with a watch. The phone's clock also competes with all your notifications to grab your attention, while the simple interface of a digital watch is much more direct. When I couldn't use my watch, the loss of such utter convenience made time seem a more distant force that had less importance to me. Call me lazy if you want, but I just didn't care about the time as much.

How exactly could a watch control someone's life? Well, since our society itself is structured around the understanding of time, we obey its passage and are subject to its every whim. Whether you're heading to class, planning a work schedule, or getting dinner with a friend, everything is based on the time. It doesn't seem so sinister on the surface, but our obedience of time can feel like an inevitable oppression. Think about all those times you wanted time to fly by during class or when you wanted time to freeze while with a friend and the opposite effect would always occur. Frantically checking your watch amplifies that temporal discomfort, so imagine how someone with their watch, which also has the date of the month, timer, and alarm function, would be yoked by time's harsh reins. Constantly checking the time like a freshman who's had two shots of espresso too many might drive him a little bit crazy.

Now imagine how I, an avid watch-wearer, would cope with suddenly not having that power at all times. It was incredibly disorienting at first to not have time tied to my wrist, and it was certainly embarrassing to get caught looking at my empty wrist when someone asked what date it was. Yet this experience gradually liberated me from my reliance on my watch. I slowly accepted that the time of day didn't really matter in my daily routine. When I had my watch, I'd intermittently check to see if time would obey my beck and call, but when I lacked that power, I simply allowed time to run its course, letting minutes turn into hours. In this counterintuitive acceptance of time's predominance, I didn't gain control of time itself, but I learned to control how I reacted to and worked within its grasp. I could deal with being a minute or two late to class or have my coach scold me; I was free from the repression of fast and slow time and given the tools to merely enjoy the time allotted to me.

As I run now, I only look at my new watch once I'm done running. I don't let the run duration command what I do as I just adjust my plan based off of how I feel. The clock's ticks and tocks are an assumed background melody rather than a malicious metronome counting down to my demise. And every now and then, when I've got a lot of time on my hands—and wrist—I set my watch down and purposefully ignore the clocks on my devices to just let time work its hidden magic.

There's enough time in the world for the events that need to happen to occur, and they'll come when the time is right. You just need to watch out for them.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Student Life

Waitlisted for a College Class? Here's What to Do!

Dealing with the inevitable realities of college life.

58486
college students waiting in a long line in the hallway
StableDiffusion

Course registration at college can be a big hassle and is almost never talked about. Classes you want to take fill up before you get a chance to register. You might change your mind about a class you want to take and must struggle to find another class to fit in the same time period. You also have to make sure no classes clash by time. Like I said, it's a big hassle.

This semester, I was waitlisted for two classes. Most people in this situation, especially first years, freak out because they don't know what to do. Here is what you should do when this happens.

Keep Reading...Show less
a man and a woman sitting on the beach in front of the sunset

Whether you met your new love interest online, through mutual friends, or another way entirely, you'll definitely want to know what you're getting into. I mean, really, what's the point in entering a relationship with someone if you don't know whether or not you're compatible on a very basic level?

Consider these 21 questions to ask in the talking stage when getting to know that new guy or girl you just started talking to:

Keep Reading...Show less
Lifestyle

Challah vs. Easter Bread: A Delicious Dilemma

Is there really such a difference in Challah bread or Easter Bread?

37691
loaves of challah and easter bread stacked up aside each other, an abundance of food in baskets
StableDiffusion

Ever since I could remember, it was a treat to receive Easter Bread made by my grandmother. We would only have it once a year and the wait was excruciating. Now that my grandmother has gotten older, she has stopped baking a lot of her recipes that require a lot of hand usage--her traditional Italian baking means no machines. So for the past few years, I have missed enjoying my Easter Bread.

Keep Reading...Show less
Adulting

Unlocking Lake People's Secrets: 15 Must-Knows!

There's no other place you'd rather be in the summer.

959277
Group of joyful friends sitting in a boat
Haley Harvey

The people that spend their summers at the lake are a unique group of people.

Whether you grew up going to the lake, have only recently started going, or have only been once or twice, you know it takes a certain kind of person to be a lake person. To the long-time lake people, the lake holds a special place in your heart, no matter how dirty the water may look.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

Top 10 Reasons My School Rocks!

Why I Chose a Small School Over a Big University.

193940
man in black long sleeve shirt and black pants walking on white concrete pathway

I was asked so many times why I wanted to go to a small school when a big university is so much better. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure a big university is great but I absolutely love going to a small school. I know that I miss out on big sporting events and having people actually know where it is. I can't even count how many times I've been asked where it is and I know they won't know so I just say "somewhere in the middle of Wisconsin." But, I get to know most people at my school and I know my professors very well. Not to mention, being able to walk to the other side of campus in 5 minutes at a casual walking pace. I am so happy I made the decision to go to school where I did. I love my school and these are just a few reasons why.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments