Time is Enough
It seems that as we enter this new phase of turning society back on we find ourselves again pressed with limited time. What is this thing of “time”? We can measure it, feel it slip away, and yet physics informs us it is only an illusion within our heads. Time may be nothing more than the entropy of atoms and molecules moving from a higher speed to a lower kinetic motion.
Little good such an explanation does us when you are running late to get the kids off for soccer practice. How can we make good use of this limited commodity? Can we more tightly schedule tasks or do without something to make more time available for us? Is more better? Certainly, it beats the alternative of that when one’s time is up.
Why does time go quickly when we enjoy an activity and seem to drag when not? Is it again just part of a naïve illusion or could it be true that our internal clock speeds and slumbers? How can our beliefs affect the quality of this commodity – our time?
The Jewish people brought a new concept to the world many centuries ago. This new “invention” may have arisen to address this need for more time. In a time when it is difficult in life to just attend to daily living, our forebearers designated one day a week to not be rushed, to slow our internal clocks down.
The Shabbat our great grandparents were accustomed to resembles little of how we live our Saturdays of today. But such can still inform us. Take time to slow down, take time at least for one day to not be so productive. The paradox is that when we spend our time sometimes doing less we find we have more to give.
Robert Becker
President