Am I the fisherman or the tourist?
Quantifying time has always been one of those tricky discussions as each person’s perspective adds a weight worth observing. We are 9 people from 8 countries with a minimum of 32 years worth of experience now being shared around one table, offering much layers to conceive.
“Yes, I’m in a hurry. I’m in a hurry to live with the intensity that only maturity can give. I do not intend to waste any of the remaining desserts… We have two lives and the second begins when you realize you only have one. “ – Mario de Andrade
Personally, for me, the hurrying to live as to not waste time is one of those paradoxes that resembles saying – Hurry up and wait. What’s the rush? If I were to look at “valuing” time I would consider ways of how that one second, one experience, one something can be prolonged. Maybe adding awareness to each moment and decision, by engaging all the senses? Does it really matter how long you live to do all rather than doing that one thing in its fullness that the result of its experience seems to last a lifetime?
Greg Ellis, a professional percussionist and drummer, pointed out to a notion – Why not replace time with energy? Is it not energy that is running out and not time ? – I couldn’t agree more. We fear on missing out mainly because in time our body can deteriorate because our brain may function less because our ability wears down and we no longer can accomplish the things we once thought foolish when we were in our 20s. Once our experiences accumulate our thinking slowly demands depth, our emotions bring perspective and so we worry if we have not put it enough in use. We watch our friends pass away, people we believed would be our witnesses, and time (energy) again becomes a concern.
“The quieter we are, the more patient and open we are in our sadnesses, the more deeply and serenely the new presence can enter us and more we can make it our own, the more it becomes our fate; and later on, when it ‘happens’ (that’s is, steps forth out of us to other people ), we will feel related and close to it in our innermost being. And that is necessary…” – Rainer Maria Rilke
So are we the fisherman or the tourist? How much are we in control of our decisions in our various circumstances? Do we know when we have fished enough even when there is still room to fish more? Can we prolong our energy instead of time and not hurry to photograph all that can be seen for the first time when we are a tourist? I leave with these thoughts on my first day and listen to my fellow companions as they bring forth their experiences, observations which I know I would not have the energy and possibility to experience all.