Time you enjoyed wasting is not wasted time
The above phrase is often attributed to Bertrand Russel or John Lennon. One argues that it was not from Russel so let's assume it from Lennon but the point I wanted to argue in this blog is the definition of waste. Imagine two people riding a car trapped in traffic. The car was inching forward and it took ages to reach the destination. To rub salt the wound the person which was supposed to be there was no where to be seen and hence the trip did not meet its objective. Question was: was the trip a waste of time?
It depends. Apparently the driver was enjoying the ride regardless. She loves to drive. Anywhere and nowhere. It does not matter for her whether she meets the objective or not. The point is enjoying the journey not so much questioning the destination nor the purpose. The guy in the passenger seat would curse the traffic and questioning the purpose of the ..well.. waste of time. He would think about ways to optimize things (for example: she should have hired someone to bring the things she was after - yes she would have to pay but the cost would be relatively cheap considering the traffic, the gasoline, car maintenance, and most importantly the wasted time
He could continue arguing about the cost of opportunities. He could have done other things in stead of being stuck in the traffic. And of course once spent there is no way to get the time back. In a sense his some minutes of his life had been spent and being dead for eternity won't make it back.
But of course his train of thoughts did not exist in her mind, the driver who loves to drive anywhere and nowhere. For her it is her raison d'etre. She enjoys being there in traffic. That is life, for her. It was not time wasting at all as she enjoys each minute of it. Alas, time you enjoyed wasting is not wasted time
No comments:
Post a Comment