One thing that is difficult to define, in many areas of knowledge and common sense, is undoubtedly time... Since the Industrial Revolution, almost 200 years ago, we have normalised the concept of automation. Waking up tired, in a hurry, pretending to eat something that nourishes us, rushing off to work, and accumulating between 8 and 14 hours a day in a place where, eventually, our presence; even more, our absence will not have the slightest impact? What about in the meantime?
That's exactly the question I ask myself in this post.... I've been taking the time (there's that word again...) to be able to contrast what is truly powerless in my life. And although, I would love to be a dedicated anarchist activist, I cannot fight alone against a reality full of injustices and inequalities. So, you, me, and almost anyone you know are ‘trapped’ in a dilemma from which we can hardly find an escape: either we work, and sacrifice our only time, or we simply lack quality of life?
Rules seem to be clear. However, the curious thing is that there is no such thing as ‘rules’. It is more like the survival that Charles Darwin recounted in his diaries aboard the Beagle as he circumnavigated the planet... ‘It is survival of the fittest’. A concept understood in a ferocious, inhuman and lethal way. The same one that fuelled the dangerous hallucinations of the great Austrian moustache man, and the same idea behind the sick mentality of Patrick Bateman in Americsn Psycho (1989). From my perspective, I am neither a European megalomaniac nor a yuppie psychopath, but I am an average human being.
Mother of an only child, no siblings. The love of my life, and that during the last 2 weeks of capitalist ‘truce’ from work (winter holidays) I have been able to enjoy the true value of the hours, of the minutes next to the people that matter most to me and that I love. I was unaware of my daughter's evolution in her digital drawings. Her strokes have become more meticulous and artistic. It is undeniable that there is talent behind this carefree and simple action. Also, these weeks have allowed me to be my daughter's companion. Watching movies, laughing, putting on make-up and going out for ice-cream and pizza together. An experience that, as absurd as it may seem, I can't always afford?
Remember the dichotomy I mentioned at the beginning of the post (working for a living, sacrificing my only time to get what I need...) well, in these times of reflection and introspection, it's especially difficult to rationalise. I am perfectly aware of the importance of not missing out on my daughter's childhood but when you are a mother, you also have to make some controversial decisions.... I am not asking for understanding or special treatment, I just find in this community the special occasion to develop a philosophical question that will create a debate... Can we escape the need to divide our time to make money? Can we? Or should we accept that this is our reality and adapt?
