Tempus Fugit: The expression was first used in the verse
Georgica written by Roman poet Virgil: Sed
fugit interea fugit irreparabile tempus, which means, "But it flees in
the meantime: irretrievable time flees." (Wikipedia). Two thousand years
have past and sadly, no one has yet learned to retrieve time. Time is a precious and scare resource that is
valued and sought after but that becomes more important later in life. As one grows older, the law of supply and
demand enforces an increased value for time.
Time is to the elderly as money is to youth. Yet, where money can be retrieved, time
cannot. I can lose a fortune but if I
waste ten years of my life, I can never recover the spent time. Who would not want to find the Fountain of
Youth?
Time flies and
flies and flies and ever I wish I could just “stop” the clock. Stopping the
clock seems only possible on game shows and in some sports. However, we do have those special moments
when time seems to stand still. When we are truly engaged in something or
someone, time may not seem to be present in our lives. Like a hummingbird, time can hover in one
place but only for short sequences. Inevitably the clock starts to move again and
we return to the world of time and money.
As you go through
the day, try to reflect on the Latin phase “tempus fugit” and see how and when
your time flies. There is a value in truly treasuring the moments of our lives.
Sometimes we seem to be trying to make time fly faster than it does. Are you in a hurry to get home, to go on that
date, to get some job or chore done? In
such cases, you can’t stand to see time standing still. You want tomorrow to happen today. It does not matter then that time flies.
Where will your time fly today? Where
would you rather have it linger like the hummingbird? Do you take enough time in the day to just let
it hover for awhile? What would your
life be like if you had more hover time and less “tempus fugit?”
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