Pages Menu
TwitterFacebooklogin
Categories Menu

Posted by on Aug 23, 2013 in Blog, Essays | 5 comments

“We All Have a Lot of Catching Up to Do”

Queens-University-Belfast-001

 

“I still have a lot of catching up to do.”

 

Sometimes a casual conversation sparks a defining moment of profound wisdom.

On this occasion, the fuel of my philosophical fire was alcohol.  Well, actually it was wine.  Does that count?

Marieta and I attended a wine tasting last night, this one held at the Rhythm Kitchen restaurant.  We invited a dear friend, Patrick Milligan to join us, who moved to Las Vegas within the past year from the Bay Area.

During the eight-course wine tasting, Patrick uttered an innocent, yet utterly thought-provoking comment which deserves amplification.  Consider this blog an “11” on the volume dial.

I forgot the exact topic we were discussing, but Patrick was describing his daily routine, which includes software development, reading, listening to music, and so forth.  Having lived a long and relatively prosperous life, Patrick knows a lot about these subjects.  Although humble, he knows a lot about many things.  Yet, in the midst of our discussion, he said, “I still have a lot of catching up to do.”

Isn’t that profound?

It is.  And here’s why.

The ghastly tragedy of all our lives is that they are far too short.  Especially for some, those who depart too soon who don’t quite get full value on what’s normally seven to eight decades — which translates into about 27,500 total days for the average person who lives to be 75-years-old.  An extension of this reasoning is that our days are too short.  I don’t mean work time.  I’m talking about the average day, with 24 hours.

Question:  How many of those 24 hours in the day are truly your own?  Think about it.  Not many, is my guess.  If you work eight full hours, and commute an hour each way, with another hour to get ready and get undressed, plus eating, showering, grooming, and then fulfilling family and community obligations, there isn’t much time left to do your own thing — maybe an hour or two at most.  And then, you probably have to fight to achieve that without interruption.

Let’s be generous and say that each day you have two hours — 120 minutes — to do what you want.  Based on the habits of most people, that free time is probably spent relaxing.  Let’s call it decompressing.  It might be watching television.  Or reading.  Or working in the garden.  Or pursuing a hobby.  Or exercising.

Is there really enough time to do the things you really want to do?  Probably not.  Instead, imagine this.  What if you were given four extra hours each day — all your own?  What would you do with all that extra time?

Would you study a foreign language?  Would you take classes?  Would you try and learn how to play a musical instrument?  Would you write more?  Would you take that next step and turn your hobby into a business?  Would you run for public office?  Would you volunteer your time for a good cause?  Of course, the possibilities are endless.

My conjecture is most people can’t fully be themselves, which is to say they can’t reach their full potential, because there simply isn’t enough time to do so.  Forget what we’ve been told about Americans having more leisure time than ever before.  That’s nonsense.  Fact is, most of us are working harder now for things that cost more and with more pressure to perform.  So, there simply isn’t enough time to take that class, or learn a language, or try and play the piano because, by the end of the day, we’re totally wiped out.  Some have it tougher than others.  Multiply the challenge for every child or dependent who requires our daily care.

And so yes, we all have a lot of catching up to do.

The alarm clock is ticking.  Constantly.  If we live an average of 27,500 days, and if only a few hours each day are our own, that means we have what amounts to about 55,000 free hours of time for our entire life!  If you’re 40+ years old, cut that reservoir of opportunity in half.  Given so little time, and so few hours to improve ourselves, how and why do we waste this time on things that don’t and shouldn’t matter — like watching idiotic television shows and other mindless distractions that rob us all of achieving our full potential?

Using an extreme comparison, why would anyone waste one precious second watching American Idol, when they could instead by studying music or learning to sing themselves?  It doesn’t matter if you’ve got natural talent, or not.  What matters is digging down deep and trying to develop it — whatever that might be.  And if you don’t ultimately succeed, what’s been lost?  Nothing.  Contrast this with a society that pretty much sits on the sidelines attached to a feeding tube of distractions and other wasteful pursuits, and the contrast between passivity and activism should be obvious.  The choice should be clear.

The first step towards personal growth is self-awareness.  We must recognize that change is indeed within our power.  While there may not be enough hours in the day to pursue all interests, there’s most certainly enough time to add one thing to your routine that you enjoy and brings fulfillment.  If you’re not using your own two hours of free time towards pursuing happiness, then what’s the point of the other 22 hours?

It’s time to start catching up.

5 Comments

  1. I have nothing to add other than “well said” and “thank you”. I hope people read and heed.

  2. Beautifully written Nolan. This one is a keeper.

  3. having recently laid off and forced to retire
    I now have time to play poker, but when bad beats hit, its not the beat that hurts, its the knowledge that I dont have enough years left to see the probability even out.

  4. “The first step towards personal growth is self-awareness.”

    Not to be negative but this in itself can use up several decades.

  5. I used to use that time to play online poker. Now that the government took that away I do healthier things like drink heavily, smoke cigars and watch more TV.

Post a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

css.php