One of the commonest words I hear from my close circle of contacts is ‘later‘. The next is ‘I’ll check’ – like do I need to know? Why not check first and then say ‘done it’? I don’t know. Jeeez! Maybe people feel they are being polite or some nonsense. If in the odd chance people do get back to me, I can easily detect when they’ve done a speed preview. Recalling a few words does not mean, they’ve grasped anything of substance. Basically, I know they don’t have enough time.
Recently I sent a little exercise to one person – pretty brief – with a question to pick one of 5 answers, like an MCQ. Reading time was 1 min 17s. The answer was actually contained the text. So hardly any study required – just a bit of concentration for 2 minutes would have provided the answer. The response was to choose all 5 options – which was frankly ridiculous. Then to ask me a question if it is one of two options they chose. This is the usual when people are trying to guess or take the easy route (aka lazy route). I even said, “If you’re tired, leave it alone” – so they had the option to delay. But no – more guessing and perambulation followed.
I’ve also had direct experience of how people waste loads of time doing nothing really productive. So – how much time do we have? I mean time on earth. Well, most people in Western first world nations can expect 75 years – and a bit more. I’m not gonna get into life expectancy stats by country. That’s roughly 3,900 weeks – 27,000 days or 648,000 hours. If that’s what you get, then what matters most is how you spend the time achieving something. Some people want to do crime, riot or wage war – and that’s their sort of achievement. Others want to contribute to the Nation or the world, whilst others just want to produce children etc. It all depends on what people settle on doing. I have not implied that ‘everybody’ has freedom to choose what they do.
Most times when I think about things I tend to find four main categories that affect human life: biological, psychological, social and politico-legal.
I’ve put some ideas into the mindmap. I’m sure there are things I will have left out.
There was much overlap between the psychological and the social. Of course, psychological and social time would be spent in the politico-legal areas as well. The mindmap is not prescriptive. I expect those who see it to find their own, with how things interrelate.
Spending time
Some people will spend more or less time in various domains. If one suffered with IBS, then a lot of time may be spent in toilets and in health care related matters. If one is a socialite, then a lot of time could be spent eating, drinking, attending social gatherings and communicating. The point is that people will have their time on earth distributed in a range of different ways. Political gatherings and saving the planet is not my priority, so I also give those little time. But I might spend a fair amount of time reading about things that affect planet earth, and about how politics and cultures affects human affairs.
Out of time?
When people say that they don’t have enough time for something, I think this means they have other competing priorities. That’s very fine indeed. Like, I have very little time for idiocy and time-wasters.
Wasting time?
Time-wasting is not easy to define. I think it means time spent that does not relate to anything productive or constructive. I’m sure some may recognise the situation where one sits down to what looks like a good movie, and then 90 minutes later feels ‘I want my 90 minutes back!‘ – so boring or confusing was the film. Unfulfilled recreational activity therefore can become a waste of time. It is for that reason I rarely go to the cinema any more. I don’t like the high probability of wasting my time and my money – I don’t care what the film reviews say. Did I say that my probability estimate of wasting time at cinemas, is the same for everybody? I did NOT!
It’s one thing to have your time wasted by some ‘thing’ or somebody else, and quite another to senselessly waste one’s time. It is the latter situation that is more worrying. Senseless time-wasting means you don’t have enough time for things that really matter. In essence it is self-defeating…. arrrghhhh..
Stupid: Hang on a sec! Who are you to be quizzing people at all hours of the day and night!?
CW: Chrysst! I’m still me. I don’t quiz people at all hours of the day and night.
Stupid: Yes but you’re giving somebody a quiz and asking for one of 5 answers.
CW: Yes. But it wasn’t a quiz. It was something they had a natural interest in – that should have been right up their street.
Stupid: What’s the name of the street?
CW: OMG – I’m speaking figuratively. There is no name to any street! FFS!
Stupid: Ok – so what was their interest.
CW: None of your business! I know it was their interest and that’s the end of that. I had many conversations with the person before. So I knew.
Stupid: Well maybe they were tired, drunk, distracted or about to have sex!
CW: And maybe they were about to take a trip to Mars! I don’t give a monkeys. They’re mature enough to say, “I’m occupied at the moment.. [or] I’m knackered” or just say nothing and come back at it whenever.
Stupid: Yes – but people feel like you need instant answers.
CW: Pure rubbish! People can feel whatever they want. I don’t cause them to feel wha’everrrr! If I need an instant answer on anything I’d say so, alternatively people can take as long as they want or do nothing.
Stupid: And there you go again criticising people as being self-defeating.
CW: Yes – and?
Stupid: How dare you?!!!
CW: I dare and I shall! What I said was “Senseless time-wasting means you don’t have enough time for things that really matter.” I know that is fair criticism for whoever the cap fits.
Stupid: You’re not gonna keep many friends with that sort of attitude.
CW: I don’t give a flying banana! Because your skull is so thick, you can’t get it in your head that I’m not interested in seeking friends or keeping them. I have none – so I can’t keep or lose any!
Stupid: Bananas don’t fly. How thick is my skull? Ridiculous!
CW: …. try this instead.. see how you fly!
Stupid: No.. no….nn..n.. nooo…
CW: Yes – gone – back in the cage. It is not easy keeping this fool out.
Disclaimer & Guidance
The reading of posts on this blog is subject to the Terms & Conditions. Unpalatable truths and personal experiences may be told. Nothing posted on this blog is directed at any identifiable person. Should any person or organisation reading this blog find something that makes them feel or know that they are being referred to – any such perceived identification is co-incidental – not factual. ‘Stupid‘ is an impish figment of my imagination who occasionally is allowed to pop up – and does not represent any known individual, individuals or groups. The treatment of ‘Stupid‘ is not representative of the way people are treated in real life. Adverse inferences made are dismissed in advance.
