Harmonizing Life with Time

…by virtue of Discipline

By Apolinario Villalobos

We cannot control time, much more, go against its ticking hands. But we can live in harmony with it by virtue of discipline. We cannot turn back the hands of time, as the song says, so we have to synchronize our life with it for our own advantage.

Synchronizing with time and the degree that calls for it differs according to culture and environment. In Spain, siesta time after lunch till early afternoon is an integral part of the people’s culture. Their “nighttime” is also long, lasting till the wee hours of the morning. Meanwhile, in other countries, the people are not conscious of time.

In a well- disciplined country like Japan, time is treated with respect. And, so is in the United States, where time is followed to the last second, in which at the strike of five in a workplace, everything is dropped. In European countries, the same treatment of time is observed – with strictness, hinged on discipline.

The standard work period is eight hours. But to date, because of the many factors that affect the daily lives of the people, especially, traffic, “broken time”  or “flexible or flexi time” is applied by some companies, for as long as the eight-hour period is completed. Adjustment is made on the work period of employees in consideration of the traffic and distance that needs to be covered by commuting from their home.

On the other hand, regardless of whether we are in a workplace, at home or just anywhere, time is very much part of our activity…our life. Practically, since the first day that life is developed in the womb of the mother, time element is already involved, such as the number of days until the fetus finally breaths the fresh air as it comes out into the world. And, the development of the growing child is reckoned by phases of time– physically, mentally, and emotionally.

In wrapping up, the best thing to do, if we do not want to be hassled then, is by being always ahead of time. Whatever time is “earned” can always be used for some other things that we need to make our life comfortable. We should, however, remember always, that living in harmony with time should be tempered with discipline.