The same 24 hours?

in #philosophy6 years ago (edited)

There is the saying that we all have the same 24 hours in a day which means, we all have the same opportunity available to us but, is this actually true? I would suggest that while it is true conceptually, when it comes to the reality of the situation, time is relative steps into play. What I mean by this is that even though the time itself may not change, the way we experience it does change. On top of this, how we behave further warps the time paradigm.

The problem I have with the 'same 24 hour' saying is that it assumes that we are all uniformly equal and can all perform at the same rate. Time itself is the measure of movement, tracking something over distance. What the assumption is of equality means that we can all travel the same distance at the same speed. So, in 10 seconds, we can all cover 100 meters like Usain Bolt, we can all problem solve at the same speed as Hawking and we can all drive at the same speed as Ayrton Senna in the wet. It assumes that we all carry the same skillset.

The context it was presented in was that we all have the same attention in that 24 hours too and, we all can consume information at the same speed. Again, this is not true at physical level for someone who has a photographic memory can not only absorb the information but recall it was precision at a later point making future informational needs faster again. Talent and learned skill lays on a spectrum and some compound to improve speed, some compound to retard it.

What this all means is even though the concept of time can seem unbending, in practice what is able to be accomplished by one person over another can vary greatly. One person may be able to complete 100 units, another 50, another again 150 in the same 24 hour period. The assumption that 'all people are created equal' is obviously false across the physical, mental and emotional planes. Where equality does come into it is that we all have the capabilities to be our best.

What this means is that given our resources, we all have the possibility to use them in the best we we are able given our various limitations and, possibilities to improve ourselves for better utilization. We are not static beings, we can influence how we grow and, be influenced by external sources.

While we all may have the same 24 hours available to us, what we can do and what we actually do with it can have massive differences on the spectrum. One of my favorite sayings is, it isn't what you have, it is how you use it that is important. There are some people with very little who can create a great deal and, some with a great deal who create very little. How and where we spend our time affects how and where we are going to spend our time in the future.

For the most part, no one is going to improve without training, experience, exposure, movement and of course, failure. Even though we are all doing our very best at this very moment, it doesn't mean we can't improve for a new best tomorrow. What improvement means is that we can move slightly faster than we did today which means, tomorrow is effectively a little longer than today.

Are you at your personal terminal velocity or is there room for improvement?

Taraz
[ a Steem original ]

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So true. We all have the time. We need the experience and the resources.

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We need the experience and the resources.

They aren't handed out.

You make an excellent point about this saying. But I'm sure you know, it's not meant to be taken literally, maybe you wouldn't run as much as Usain Bolt, but in the same 24 hours, you could've run a part of that. But you sit on the couch and then complain about not getting anywhere. Well, that's because you didn't run. Well, not you personally, of course, but I think that's what the saying's talking about.
Whenever I've used the phrase, it was in relation to my own personal goals. For example, I set out to write 5 pages today and I did. My friend sat down to design a presentation and did not. Both things could've been easily done in 24h, the key being your drive to do them.

You may not be Stephen Hawking or Usain Bolt, but if you used your time wisely, you could've become an equivalent (or at least someone) in yoour chosen field, like they did in theirs. That's how I've always viewed it.

Really nice post, dear.

This article came from a comment that stated we all have the same attention to spend each day and not a nanosecond more than anyone else. I disagree.

And yes, you are right. The way we spend our time is a predictor of the future in some way, as is what we consume during that time spent.

Personal Terminal Velocity is subjective. Sometimes an individual needs to slow down to achieve their ideal personal terminal velocity.

Sometimes an individual needs to slow down to achieve their ideal personal terminal velocity.

Absolutely. I think this is why it has to be a personally examined position rather than a comparison to others.

Very true, experiences differ greatly. But in a way, knowing how best to make use of the 24 you're given is what matters

Speed set aside, not having the same start is among the most discouraging thoughts. There is also the problem of Where to move. Imagine what lies ahead of us as not simply a linear track but as something like a chessboard. Even moving backwards could be the possible solution in some situations.

Another thought... I have recently used in fiction the so called paradox of Achilles and the Turtle. It states that Achilles couldn't possibly reach the turtle that has some head start on him because during the time it takes for him to travel the distance, the turtle has moved a little bit further. And then, there is a new distance between them. During the time Achilles covers that new distance, the turtle would still have moved a little bit further, creating yet another new distance between them and so on and so on.

What that story does not take into account is that time in it declines towards zero in each new segment. (I am not sure if I had used the proper terms in English for that last statement.)

not having the same start is among the most discouraging thoughts.

I think it is not such a bad thing because it gives more chance for variation, randomness and potential to find niches. It also means that we are more likely to need each other to create complex projects.

Achilles and the Turtle.

Is this the same as the arrow that can never reach the target by halving the distance?

I agree it is not bad, I just point it out as something of a barrier in the minds of many. We've built lots of artificial barriers.

Yes, the arrow story is the same.

"Home Improvement Smacking Wisdom" :)

I really enjoyed that show once upon a time :)

I don't doubt it!! :)

There is always room for improvement. People are individuals and variables in a mathematical equation. We all have the same 24 hours true. But we are not machines. Emotions to come into play and affect the mood this affect the output. And true we have different skill sets as we are all designed differently. One person may have aptitude for mechanical and construction work follow another person may be talented music or the Theater Arts. In addition to having skills we have limitations which are designed to make us more interdependent on each other. I personally believe what matters most is matters of the heart. We still have our heart and soul when we leave this world. Thanks my friend for good article.

There is so much variation in people but there is generally much more overlap in what we want from this world at a basic level. It is amazing how poor we are at assembling ourselves.

There is always room for improvement. I find people learn from others who are stronger than them. It rubs off on them ,that is why if you have a business you want to surround yourself with the best possible people who are better than you.

Surrounding yourself with people who are very good at things and questioning, practicing, learning is the fastest way to improve. It definitely helps stretch time and has the added benefit of saving time also. Move faster, more time. learn faster, more time to move.

Couldn't agree more. Some are too proud and arrogant to use this method but it is the smartest way to build a successful company.

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