The Psychology of Time

I recently heard someone waxing eloquently on "The Psychology of Time" and I decided to make some comments on that subject here. I'm not a psychologist, like some of my relatives, but I do understand a bit about "time." That's what I want to comment about here.

For me time is a relative thing. Perhaps that's what the speaker meant as he spoke about sporting events on the west coast being watched by fans on the east coast, and the frustration that brings because of the time difference. But at least it made me think a bit about "time."

The speaker referred to one's comparison of periods of time, such as an hour spent in a doctor's office compared to an hour spent doing something more enjoyable. I thought of the time spent waiting on a train at a crossing, perhaps 3 minutes or so, and how it seems much longer than that most times. Or perhaps comparing an hour driving on the interstate compared to an hour visiting with family after you get there. It's all relative for me.

From the Biblical perspective, time is also relative, especially when we compare time as we view it with time as God sees it. For instance, it says in 1 Peter 3:8, "For with the Lord a day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years is like a day." From that reference point, its only been a couple of days since Jesus ascended into heaven. And a word we often use that has an open ended time reference is "soon." God's view of this word is recorded in Revelation 22:20 when Jesus is quoted as saying, "Yes, I am coming soon." How soon in soon in this reference? Two thousand years, or however long, doesn't seem like "soon" to me, but to God "soon" may mean much more than we think.

I can remember when I thought it was a "waste of time" to take a nap after lunch. One's perspective of what "waste of time" means is conditioned by one's schedule and responsibilities. When one doesn't have much of a schedule or not many responsibilities "waste of time" takes on a different meaning than when the opposite is true. Other phrases ofter used that refer to the passing of time are "kill time" and "buy a little time." Actually one can do neither of those - we just think we can for some reason.

Well, I don't know if the "Cool School Psychologist" would consider these ramblings a conversation about the "psychology of time" or not. Perhaps she might comment on that. I know one thing, call it what you want, time is relevant - relevant to what one is doing or what one's outlook is on time. I recall on one occasion when I was a supervisor in a manufacturing plant that one of the employees under my supervision was "wasting time" riding around on the fork lift. When I confronted him about that he said, "I'm in no hurry, I'm getting paid by the hour." This man's idea of what to do with his time eventually cost him his job.

What is your view of time? Perhaps you will say that this post was a waste of your time when you read it. Perhaps it will cause you to think about how you use the time God has given you. Another phrase often used is "time is of the essence." As I have grown older, I think more and more that my time here on this earth grows shorter as each day comes and goes. That makes time precious for me. And so I continue as -

Pilgrim on the way