Once upon a time, there was a time we still had time! Time to be, time to reflect, time to think about. In our times today, we don’t have time for anything. Have we lost time? Can you lose it, really?
I took the time to think about time because I had lots of time. Exactly 12 hours. That is the time it takes to fly from the west coast of the US to Switzerland. Most other passengers didn’t have time, because they used the time: for sleeping, for watching something on that tiny screen in front of them, or they had no time because they worked on their computers, or listened to one of the music channels. There was the time you ate that food served to you on planes and the time to stand in line to go to the bathroom, along with fifty other people that wanted to go too. Maybe that’s the time to check your watch, for you may have one of those famous Swiss watches, very precise, that can even stop the time!
There is the time of departure, time of arrival, time until destination, time since departure, local time at destination, local time at departure, actual time. So many times! Which is the right time?
I usually set the time to the time of my destination right after I take my seat on the plane. This way I am ahead of time and when I arrive I have already the right time. But now I had time to think about this time business.
Time is creeping up in this airplane, cramped in a tight seat and no space to stretch. What time is it? Oh, it doesn’t really matter. It is still time to meditate on this word, which is called „time“. I think about the time it is at the place I just left, and what my friends are doing at this time. They have not much more time left and it is time to go to bed, so time is flying for them. Maybe it is flying with me, right here in this plane. I wonder what seat it took… Maybe it is flying first class so people would say, „We had a nice time.“
At the time of my destination, it is already midday. Two weeks ago people there switched to daylight savings time. In order to do this, they lost time, exactly one hour. Where did this hour go, lost in space? So now, they have even less time to do things.
Sometimes you have to take a time out, not only in sports but in your life. But then you have to catch up with the time and make up with the time you lost. And in time you are back to the old routine or by the time you might have learned to manage your time?
I am thinking again at the time when I was flying on a New Year’s Eve. Every hour there were times where people would celebrate the New Year. So all the time someone was celebrating, actually all the time at the same time. Yes, all the time at the same time, and I realize there is no time, it is an illusion, it is nothing but a nice tool to measure something which does not exist.
I had a good time thinking about time. The voice of the pilot comes on, saying that we will shortly be landing: on time!