That is the title and main line of the chorus from a song made popular by the Rolling Stones in 1964. It was the first song they performed on the Ed Sullivan Show on October 25, 1964. However, while this is the version of the song that seems to be most widely remembered, there were several versions recorded and released in 1963 and 1964 and after the Stones version by other artists including Irma Thomas.
While it was mainly a soulful love ballad, the words can convey another meaning – in particular the line that goes, “Now you were saying that you want to be free . . .” I, of course, can relate to that line, too.
But, here we are at the commencement of a new year. I’ve heard some people say that all we have is time. And, some people talk about having time on their hands. Carl Sandburg put it this way, “Time is the coin of your life. It is the only coin you have, and only you can determine how it will be spent. Be careful lest you let other people spend it for you.” Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “This time, like all times, is a very good one, if we but know what to do with it.” But, perhaps, Plutarch may have summed it up best of all some 2,000 years ago when he stated, “The whole life of man is but a point of time; let us enjoy it.”
This morning I read an interesting essay on time in the New York Times. It was part of an ongoing series of essays by contemporary philosophers. Here’s the link if you care to read it yourself - http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/01/01/on-modern-time/?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=thab1 If it doesn’t work, go to the NYT, then to the Opinionator, The Stone and the article “On Modern Times” by Espen Hammer. I found it interesting reading and perhaps you may, too.
At any rate, the author pointed out that in today’s modern, industrialized society we “live by the clock.” Boy, did I learn about that back in my younger days studying television and radio for my masters degree. That is an industry that is virtually controlled 100% by the clock. All kinds of technology has been created just to make sure that a program begins precisely at a prescribed time. Commercials and public service announcements are timed precisely, not a second over is allowed. Of course, that’s only one small instance of how things are run by the clock. Even in my main field of endeavor, recording, music was timed, not by how long it took to perform a composition, but by how much time could fit on a recording medium. This was very challenging during the days of the 10” record spinning at 78 rpm. Then came the 7” discs that operated at 45 rpm and, of course, the 33 1/3 rpm, long playing, 12” records. There were also 16” records for a period of time, though they were not made available as consumer products. The tape formats also had time limitations as does the CD format. The interesting thing is that with each new technology there was a continual push to “expand” or “extend” time. The constant, of course, is that one second is still one second as is one minute, one hour, one day and so on. So, we haven’t actually changed the duration of time, we’ve simply been able to increase the amount of time we can store on a specific medium.
Think about our lives. I stopped wearing a wristwatch several years ago. I was on a week long vacation on the Outer Banks of North Carolina with a group of friends. I decided to take the watch off when I arrived so I didn’t spend my day concerned about what time it was or if I was getting enough accomplished in the time I would spend at the beach. Did I know what time it was. Of course! It’s almost impossible to escape it. There was a clock in the kitchen of the beautiful home we were staying at. There were clock radios in each bedroom. There was a DVD player and cable television that had the time displaying on them constantly. But, at least taking the wristwatch off was a symbolic gesture on my part. When the week came to an end I put the watch back on. On the long drive back to the Shenandoah Valley and not long after we left the beach, I looked at my wrist. I took the watch back off and put it in my pocket and I’ve not worn a watch from that day until the present. Again, it’s a symbolic gesture.
We live our lives by the clock in our modern world. As children we get up at a specified time, get ready for school, arrive, go to class, have lunch and go home as specified times. As college students, we attend classes that are at designated times. As workers – whether employed by someone else or self-employed, we have designated times to begin work and to end work. If we have a doctor or dentist appointment, we have to be there at a designated time. If we take a train, plane or ship, we depart at a designated time and are scheduled to arrive at another designated time. If we practice a religion, we typically adhere to a time schedule for Christians it is typically a designated time on Sunday morning, perhaps, again in the evening and maybe a prayer meeting on a Wednesday evening. Practicing Jews begin their Sabbath on Friday at sundown and conduct no business or work until the end of the Sabbath on Saturday. Muslims commit to pray five times each day at designated times. If we want to enjoy a movie, a live theatrical performance, a concert, a sports event or other forms of entertainment, there is a designated time and they don’t hold the show for anyone.
This is the industrialized, modern, technological world we live in. Many of you probably have what have become known as “atomic clocks.” The most accurate atomic clock in the world is based in Ft. Collins, Colorado and is operated by the National Institute of Standards and Technology. It transmits the time continuously by radio across the U.S. (and anywhere else that can receive the signal) and is received by atomic clock receivers in watches, clocks, computers, the cell phone system, the GPS system and so on, so that every such clock reflects the exact time. Time is pervasive in our society. We live by the clock. But, do you ever wish you could take some real time off from the clock?
During earlier times in the history of the human species there were no clocks. Our lives, much like the lives of lower animals, were based on the natural rhythm of the Earth and the universe. With no clocks humans would get up when the sun rose, often awakened by the sounds of the birds and other wildlife. We went to sleep when the sun settled and it became dark. There were no TV’s, radios, computers or even books. The work of the day, hunting and gathering, preparing food and making clothing, and the play of the day were mostly based on the daylight and the rest periods were based on the darkness. When humans became a more agriculturally based society, much the same rhythm continued since growing is a natural process. This rhythm continued even through medieval times with sundials acting as a means of telling approximate time. Then the mechanical clock and eventually the pocket watch (around the 16th Century) was invented and life began to change. Today, atomic particles allow us to have the most accurate time devices ever known. But, here is the question – because we now have the most precise time keeping devices humans have ever known, do we have any more time? Have we been able to expand or extend time in the finite form we know it i.e. second, minutes, hours, etc.? Absolutely not! All we’ve done is to have a more precise record of time – oops, there goes that second, gone – but I could accurately see it pass on my atomic clock.
Are we better off because of our ability to keep track of time? The answer is, of course, yes and no. It all depends on your perception of time and its use. Certainly, knowing precisely what time it is and being able to keep track of time helps us handle the many issues, challenges and day-to-day facets of the modern, technological lives most of us live in the developed world. But, for me, having lived and worked in industries and businesses that “lived” by the clock, maybe not so much anymore. I still think back to the time at the beach when I decided not to wear the watch, symbolic as it may have been. What I wanted was for time to slow down. That has to be in a metaphorical sense because time, as we know it, is a constant. I still allow myself to be far too controlled by the clock, even though I’d just as soon not, but I’m too conditioned to our modern lifestyle. I don’t know if I could adjust or even partially adjust to the simple rhythm prior to the invention of the mechanical timekeeping devices.
I do, however, dream, at times, of living on some tropical island, idling my days away swinging in a hammock, fishing for dinner, sipping coconut milk and sleeping to the quiet lapping of the waves on the shore. I’m sure somewhere in the world there are a few people who live that way. Perhaps, one day I’ll find such a place and give it a try. My best recent effort was this morning while I remained in bed until about 11:15 AM reading and answering emails and interesting articles (one about time, as previously noted) on my “high-tech tablet” and finally, moving to the vertical position and sitting in a chair to compose this post on my notebook computer.
Am I a hypocrite or am I just dealing with reality? I believe that I’m dealing with reality. Few of us in our current, technologically advanced, developed society and lives would be willing to give up what we have to revert back to a time when life was certainly simpler and, yet, probably much harder.
“Time, Time, Time is on your side.” Enjoy the new year and use your time to your advantage, however that me be.
Enthusiastically,
Ed
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