What is the True Value of Time?

What is the True Value of Time?

Is it even possible to value time? A phenomenon that is highly feared as one that waits for no man. Time is an enigma of epic proportions and it continues to confound the mind of man. The hour glass which stands to this day as one of man’s earliest effort in valuing time falls short of the mark. The clock, calendar and other gadgets that aid in understanding time have so far only made sense of time and its reality more intense. Yes, the second, minute, hour, day and year are known but has this knowledge really shown the true value of time? Mathematics tends to give only the platonic and superficial value of time by using symbols and numbers. This has made it possible to draw inferences on various happenings based on when they actually occurred, are occurring or will occur.

Statements like “’The earth is several millions years old”, “The final match between the two rival teams have begun” and “An eclipse of the sun will occur in two weeks’ time” tend to give only a clinical impression of events as they relate to time. It seems like there is a great vacuum in the delivery of these time related events. The earth is several billions of years old for example, is a fact based on what science have been able to find out. This piece of information provides only a glimpse into the true value of time as it relates to the age of planet earth. The earth is several billions of years old? What is time hiding? Why is the earth just several billions of years old and nothing more?

When it becomes a matter of life and death, time takes a different dimension. Time seems to be standing aloof and watching events unfold before its eyes. In Medicine, there is a famous surgical procedure in which patients’ blood is cooled to a very low temperature by an external machine that passes the blood back to the body. It has been said that after some time, patients would die if the blood temperature is not returned back to normal. It seems like time is playing some game. Why will it leave only a very little margin of itself as a decision maker on issues of life and death to the understanding?

Many times without number, time has been referred to as money. The astute businessman will never own up to money as its own boss. He would always say or emphasize that time is money and thus its unavailability means the absence of money. All that is left to be seen in this popular axiom is how people jostle to make sure that time does not make mockery of them as far as money is concerned. Why the jostling? If time is money, then there could be a missing link that time is not revealing.

In achieving goals and meeting deadlines, time will always play a major role. When expecting and waiting for something, time is indispensable. It is even more evident in its healing powers. Everything seems to have its origin in time. The past, present and future has time as their custodian. Yet, the best that can be done about measuring its value is to tell about how long or short events are.

What then is time’s value? This question may never get any satisfactory answer as long as the human mind is concerned. The capability that would be unlocked by time’s true measure is boundless. Interestingly, man has always fantasized about understanding the true value of time. Science fiction have dealt with several themes on time and have even gone as far as controlling time itself. A lot of great things as regards to time’s value have been done by humanity but the great gulf still gnaws with unsatisfactory answers to the question of time’s true value.