Not everything in life can be measured the same way. To some people, wealth matters most, so they spend their entire lives trying to reach that goal. To other people, beauty is valuable, so they choose to get up at early dawn to get ready. In some different way, everyone has a priority. What we all have in common is the time in order to achieve those.
There’s an age-old saying that “time is money.” It comes from the idea that time is similar to money, as it can be used to obtain wealth. The more efficiently someone uses their time, the more they can accomplish. Still, I’d like to argue that time is not money. Money can be earned back, refunded, or even won in a last-minute game show twist. But time? Once it’s gone, it’s gone forever.
Unlike money, which can be accumulated and earned back, time once spent is gone forever. No amount of wealth can buy back lost moments, missed opportunities, or neglected relationships. A billionaire and an average worker both experience the same 24 hours in a day, but how they utilise their time ultimately determines the quality of their lives. This highlights that time, not money, is the true measure of wealth. And yet, people act like they can borrow time, steal it, or worst of all, waste it. If there’s one crime that deserves more outrage, it’s the blatant theft of time.
Imagine this: You’re in a long queue and suddenly, someone slyly steps in front of you, giving you a weak smile. They know what they did was wrong. And what are you to do about it? Push them off the line and take your place back?
The worst part of it all is that this is so normalised that you can practically see it happening everywhere–on the streets, public transportations, cafeterias, even when your parents are driving you somewhere.
Of course, sometimes, we are our own worst enemies. Countless times we have opened an app for a short break and suddenly, an hour flew by and it evaporated into the void. We went in to check one message, and somehow spiraled into a deep rabbit hole on social media.
The truth is, while money is important, you can always find ways to earn more. But time? You only get so much of it. When it’s wasted, it’s gone. This isn’t to say we should be ultra-productive every second of the day, but we should at least make the best out of what we have.