Society Can't Buy Time

The biggest realization that I've come to in recent years is basically that: things take time.

Whether it's simply saving your money for a down payment on a house (simple), or reforming your country through violent revolution (complex), none of these can be done without everyday consistent effort, and also the elapse of a great period of time.

Society has ruined and distorted our perspective of time. We all come to view time as something buyable right now... something that we can simply purchase and is at our disposable. Pitiful we are... not knowing any better. Who are these engineers-of-perspective that make it so that we, the ordinary citizen, come to believe that time can be bought? Are they powerful groups involved in a world-wide conspiracy to keep people down? Or are they simply you and I - those who try to make their living by pushing this idea forth - trying to sell each other the guns and butter that supposedly make our lives better (but in actuality, only make the lives of the seller better)?

Why is time viewed as something that can be bought? Travel used to be a journey, a life-changing, life-altering educational experience - it has now morphed into the all-inclusive package tour. A pity, because the quick trip to see tourist spots and eat local delicacies is not even a small glimpse into the real lives of those who live there. It is only by living there, living in that locale, that one really knows life in other parts of the world. This is the only real way to experience the world. But, what does that take? It takes time - time that you won't be able to use to "build your career" - time that you think is too valuable to "waste".

If you slow down the pace of your life, I'm sure you'll discover many things you've never noticed before. You'll discover how beautiful life can be when you're not rushing to your job, rushing to meet some friends, rushing to have fun, rushing for no reason... you'll see that all the marketing and all the noise out there is just trying to keep the blinders over your eyes.

Most important of all, you'll notice that things take time. Just as it took you a dozen years to become as fat as you are now, it'll probably take you almost the same amount of time (or less, if you concentrate your efforts) to lose that weight you put on. Don't be fooled and think that by buying the "fat-ass-eliminator" that you'll compress the time of years into a few short months. Just the same, if your dream is to serve the finest coffee in the world from your chain of coffee shops - you can't expect overnight success. Things take time and effort - just as any great civilization and any great person labored for years, decades and centuries before they were recognized.

I encourage you to take the first step right now towards achieving your goals. Want to pay off that debt? Go ahead and make an online payment of $10... do it now and do it often. Want to become healthier? Go ahead and do a few push-ups... do it now and do it often! You get the point... go ahead and start now. But remember to continue everyday.