HAVE you ever been asked, “How can we save time?” Can we drop our minutes like coins in a piggy bank, and use them later, when we need them most?
The reality is, no matter what we do, we only have 24 hours in a day. What are we doing with this most precious commodity called time?
Ours is a fast-paced world, with all sorts of inventions mostly geared towards saving or maximizing the use of our time.
Can you imagine washing clothes with our hands? (Well, some still do and their clothes are probably cleaner and last longer.) Can you imagine cooking food using only firewood? (I wonder if the food taste better?) How about communicating with loved ones using snail mail? (I would love to receive a hand-written letter again!).
It is a fact that all these inventions (home appliances, computers, cellphones, etc) change and mostly improve our lifestyle. They are also signs of progress and advancement in life. We can do more and more things because of these time-saving devices. Imagine, you can now watch TV, answer emails, or clean the house, while the washing machine, slow cooker and rice cooker are on.
But, these high tech gadgets can sometimes be a hindrance to living life to the full. I see young kids, even toddlers playing with Ipads, or even cellphones, instead of playing with other children. I see teenagers and even adults glued (and maybe addicted) to their computers/cellphones, playing games, watching marathon TV series, doing Facebook, and all sorts of amusement/leisure focused activities.
There is nothing wrong with young kids using the ipad or cellphone, (esp using the various educational apps available) as long as they don’t get so attached to it, that they don’t socialize anymore. For me, adult supervision is a must. For teenagers and especially adults addicted to “Candy Crush”, Facebook and the like, I believe in the adage, “Too much of anything is bad.” Addiction is a disease that needs serious attention.
My Dearest Hi-tech plagued Readers,
You are not alone in facing the challenging mission of making the best use of time.
Luckily for me, I am already in this stage of life, (with all my kids now adults), when I am already more free to make use of my time any way I want to. And still, this technology around me can sometimes be a deterrent to my living a more fulfilled life. I am guilty of checking my FB account a number of times a day. To what end? I could have written another back-up article for Mike, instead of “wasting” my time checking status of friends. I could have finished another Zentangle inspired art. Fortunately, I have not started playing Candy crush or any other computer game. Hopefully I will continue to resist the deluge of invites to play the game.
But, I have to admit that I am barking at the wrong tree. Why blame these gadgets when I am the one making the choices on what to do? This brings me back to the topic of making the best use of time.
Your “best use of time” maybe different from mine. This is after all, very subjective.
I believe that whatever we decide is best for us, must be guided by good values. Our values serve as guidelines on what is good or bad, what is desirable or not. So our decisions, our choices, our attitudes and behavior are greatly influenced by our values. What do you value most?
Next week, my husband Mike, is giving a talk on “Values” to the employees of BSU (Benguet State University). Even if he is very busy, he is setting aside time to prepare for this talk because he values his relationship with BSU and his commitment to them. I am certain he will share with you, our dear readers about it, in time.
Time is indeed very precious. Do you sometimes feel you need more time? Or that you are harassed, overwhelmed, and pressed for time? Does it feel like time is running out? So, you want to hurry through life, and accomplish everything you wish as fast as you can?
May I end this article with the prayer that we all “make the most of our time” here on earth. May we realize the truth that “the time allotted for us here on earth is sufficient for all the Lord has planned for us to do.” May our wills be aligned to God’s will that we may spend our most precious time accomplishing His purposes for us.
May we take time to smell the roses. Take time to hug our loved ones, to tell them we love them. May we take time to pray, to thank, to worship, to be with our Creator who has given us our life and all this time to spend as we wish.
I would like to take this time to thank you, dear Reader, for the time you spend reading this article and all the other articles that Mike (and sometimes I, Angie) write in his “My Dearest” column. May God bless you more and more.
“To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.” -- Ecclesiastes 3:11