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December 14, 2007
Quality Time
"It was the best extra 22 nanoseconds I've ever spent with the kids," Van Baak says.
Some of us don't care about the time of day, some of us value punctuality, some of of are pedantic about punctuality, and some are time nuts. However, i think it's only fair to say that a time nut is not some kind of uber-crazy on-time person, but rather, someone who's fascinated by time itself, and wants to study it as a hobby.
Time has that fractal nature: You think you have a pretty clear understanding of the matter, but as you look at the details (the "edges"), instead of seeing a picture with less detail and more clarity, you see more detail and less clarity. Think about the the shore - the boundary between land and water. It's easy to draw on a map. Walk down to the beach - it's a little less clear because the waves lap against the beach. Look even closer - the water ebbs and flows around the sand and rocks and maybe some other flotsam has washed up on the beach. It suddenly dawns on you that it's very difficult to define where the sea ends and the land begins, and you realize how connected these things are, not separate.
Dividing things is a wacky concept, one which we as a society have fallen in love with in the last few hundred years. It has it's uses, but it also can cause trouble when used unwisely. We've divided time up into parts, and we keep pretending that those parts are "natural" when they aren't. Ask a time nut - they'll tell you.
Notice the thing that really animates Mr. Van Baak - spending time with the ones he loves. I suppose time has it's place, but it's people and our experiences with them that really matter.
Posted by pgutwin at December 14, 2007 9:23 AM