The Concept of Clockwork

"The trouble is, you think you have time." - Buddha

Artwork of Salvador Dali "The Persistance of Memory" (1931), successfully portraying surrealism and humor.

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Time. What is it about time that causes it to continuously move forward, leaving all else behind apart from itself? I find myself frequently consumed by the habit of glancing at the clock my roommate placed in our hall, hanging only a few steps from my bedroom while in the opposite direction rests our entry way, both a physical and metaphorical portal into the world itself. Each day as I prepare myself to leave, I walk past this clock and remind myself that once I've returned the time being read will have changed and the time that is about to be lived cannot be altered or given back once passed.

While many art enthusiasts have their own perception of Dali's work "The Persistance of Time", categorizing it as a surrealistic representation of the dream like state, I found myself lost in the idea that perhaps time can in fact melt away is it does in Dali's darkened portrayal. Time is in fact a dark concept. Imagine at your birth you are given an inheritance of an unknown amount of money meant to live on, but without the ability to gain anything more. As each day passes one would find themselves in a state of panic, consumed by the thought of the day their funds ran out while unknowing of when that day would present itself. Each day we all face this same situation, but given time rather than monetary value, unknowing that both can be spent quickly and frivolously.

In the words of American Buisnessman Michael LeBoeuf, "Waste your money and you're only out of money, but waste your time and you've lost part of your life." LeBoeuf had the right mentality which led to his success, something in which could guide even the poorest man to a hidden gold mine. The time we are given is a gift and we should use our resources to the best of our ability. We are each given the same amount of time, and the wise man uses his in exchange for both knowledge and insight. Be mindful of the time you let melt around you, or you will find yourself in the most desolate of places surrounded only by the time you let pass without gain.