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Time or Money? Which Do You Value More?
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Yes. However, my question was which do you hold to have a greater worth, or which do you value more, or how do you balance their competing claims?
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Only said that since for some reason I expected the forum to think I enjoyed acquiring wealth most.
OP, I wrote a thoughtful response since I felt this thread may have been directed to some of my Community Discussion threads. Y u no reply?
No. To be honest, this thread has nothing whatsoever to do with anything you may have posted elsewhere.
Rather, instead, it has everything to do with the fact, firstly, that this is a topic which I have been mulling over for years, and, secondly, that the plethora of posts and threads which have appeared here recently and which have seemed to have been triggered by a need or wish to discuss, or measure, or compare, monetary or financial worth prompted me to try to extend that (money obsessed) discussion to cover a wider set of philosophical parameters and concerns including time.
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Fair enough, and you have made me chuckle.
Indeed your observation about how money can 'buy a better class of misery; is not only nicely phrased, but reminds me of the wonderfully sardonic and witty poem 'The Terrible People' written by an (American) poet (whose work I always liked a lot), namely, the wonderful Ogden Nash.
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I apologize for a brief hijack of the thread - but Quarantine by Eavan Boland is one of my favorite misery and love poems of all time. Those Winter Sundays by Robert Hayden is another favorite. His reference to the home being filled with "chronic angers" strikes a personal chord. My favorite contemporary poet, at least for the last few years, is Mary Oliver. I think I've come close to reading everything she's written. Poets/poetry is probably a good thread of its own.
Again, sorry for the hijack but it's your fault for bring up poetry.
I apologize for a brief hijack of the thread - but Quarantine by Eavan Boland is one of my favorite misery and love poems of all time. Those Winter Sundays by Robert Hayden is another favorite. His reference to the home being filled with "chronic angers" strikes a personal chord. My favorite contemporary poet, at least for the last few years, is Mary Oliver. I think I've come close to reading everything she's written. Poets/poetry is probably a good thread of its own.
Again, sorry for the hijack but it's your fault for bring up poetry.
Nobody should ever apologize for bringing up poetry, its the Ambrosia of the written word.
I apologize for a brief hijack of the thread - but Quarantine by Eavan Boland is one of my favorite misery and love poems of all time. Those Winter Sundays by Robert Hayden is another favorite. His reference to the home being filled with "chronic angers" strikes a personal chord. My favorite contemporary poet, at least for the last few years, is Mary Oliver. I think I've come close to reading everything she's written. Poets/poetry is probably a good thread of its own.
Again, sorry for the hijack but it's your fault for bring up poetry.
Well, I will never apologise for 'bringing' up poetry. It seemed the appropriate observation.
Sometimes, a poem says what needs to be said a lot better, more succinctly and more eloquently than anything offered by prose.
Beautifully expressed. And I am in complete agreement with you.
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I treasure time, because it is so fleeting. You can possess money, you cannot possess time. It is fleeting, we are but a wisp of smoke on this world.
As I quickly approach the 50 year mark of existence, material possessions mean even less, but spending time with those whom I love and having cherished memories is much more important.
To put it another way, I think back fondly of my honeymoon to my beautiful wife and the time we had together in Hawaii more then what type of computer, I had or my bank account balance.
I remember an old friend saying this to me when I was younger, no one ever wished they spent more time in the office working more hours on their deathbed, but the opposite, spending more time with those whom they love.
As I quickly approach the 50 year mark of existence, material possessions mean even less, but spending time with those whom I love and having cherished memories is much more important.
To put it another way, I think back fondly of my honeymoon to my beautiful wife and the time we had together in Hawaii more then what type of computer, I had or my bank account balance.
I remember an old friend saying this to me when I was younger, no one ever wished they spent more time in the office working more hours on their deathbed, but the opposite, spending more time with those whom they love.
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A healthy dose of both is good, but here's how I distinguish the two:
Time is finite; money is not.
You can always get more money, even if you piss it all away. Time is the one thing you can never get back.
Time is finite; money is not.
You can always get more money, even if you piss it all away. Time is the one thing you can never get back.
Time, because I have more of it!
But if I had more money, I could probably spend more time doing the things I like other than having to work! But in order to get more money I need to spend time working.......
So time!
But if I had more money, I could probably spend more time doing the things I like other than having to work! But in order to get more money I need to spend time working.......
So time!
Time, because I have more of it!
But if I had more money, I could probably spend more time doing the things I like other than having to work! But in order to get more money I need to spend time working.......
So time!
I'm with you there!
I value time much more than I value money. However, if I had more money, I would be able to spend my time doing much more valuable things.
You should have started a poll
I myself value time over money.
No, I am interested in opinions, reasons and arguments, not a statistical outcome.
However, I am delighted to see that you value time over money.
A nicely expressed and nuanced distinction. Nicely phrased.
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Ah, bravo, very well said; and this - to a large extent - is more or less my position, too.
Reading through the responses, and please allow me to thank all of you who have taken the time and trouble to reply with thoughtful responses - I am struck by the number of replies which have not just thought about this before actually putting pen to paper (or, fingers to keyboard), but who have indicated a preference for valuing time over money.
As thread initiator, or OP, I had contemplated trying to aim for a (an impossibly implausible) neutrality on this matter, but failed dismally, as my own preferences and sympathies were - and are - all too clear.
Nevertheless, I do thank all who have contributed; it makes for an interesting read, not least the fact that many of those who indicated a preference for money posted earlier, whereas those who opted for valuing time chose to post latterly. Fascinating.
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I just returned to my office from a trip downtown (1 mile away) to go before the County Board of Commissioners on some routine County business. Prior to the start of the meeting, a couple of people were chatting nearby about some other people, employees, we know, who, unfortunately, have been diagnosed with cancer and other horrible things.
Someone made a comment about what is more important in life than money, and it was time. Time with their families, loved ones and for general happiness because we never know what will befall us and it'd be a shame to spend all our time at work for money and then potentially lose our life to an unforeseen condition and never really enjoy our time and lives.
Someone made a comment about what is more important in life than money, and it was time. Time with their families, loved ones and for general happiness because we never know what will befall us and it'd be a shame to spend all our time at work for money and then potentially lose our life to an unforeseen condition and never really enjoy our time and lives.
I'm very young in my life journey- I finished my schooling, and have many things that require me to pay large sums: student loans (not too taxing), my upcoming marriage, finding housing, and trying to start retirement funds. I don't expect things to ever "even out", but I have several large ticket things to pay for at the moment, and while I would like to be able to relax, it doesn't feel right at the moment. I haven't had a day off from both of my jobs in over two months, plus I independently run two small businesses on the side. Hopefully after a few years of doing this, I can relax a little, but at the moment, I literally cannot afford to sit still and do nothing.
There is something very final about the proximity or reality of death; Samuel Johnson's witty, but pointed, aphorism where he remarked: "Depend upon it, sir, when a man knows he is to be hanged in a fortnight, it concentrates his mind wonderfully", comes to mind.
Yes, time matters, and time with close friends and family matters, and is something I have come to cherish increasingly (if still indulge, all too sparingly).
Strange to relate, it is utterly taken for granted especially when one is young, and when we are convinced of our own immortality (as almost every youngster is, I know I was). Indeed, as a youngster, doing the crazy, stupid things that youngsters do (sometimes to prove to yourself that you are really alive) it is difficult to envisage that some day, this will not be the case.
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I, too, was, at one time in my younger days, in the mindset of invincibility. Looking back at it, now that I am in my mid-thirties, during that time I was an active duty Marine where the possibility of losing my life was more real than could be at any other time in my life; it wasn't a good combination in hind sight.
These day's I am more cognizant of not only my mortality, but of the mortality of all mankind, on an individual level. I think of how foolish some of these teenagers are that I saw in the news the other day who, for fun or to prove something of themselves, are setting themselves on fire for the publicity of YouTube. It is totally beyond my comprehension as to why anyone would do such a thing, for any reason at all, let alone to show off on YouTube. These young people have little concept of how fragile their life is, especially in doing some of these nasty things.
So if setting oneself on fire is for the purpose of gaining money (and I don't know that it is, but it's an example) at the risk of losing my life, or even my quality of life, there isn't enough money, riches and fame that could be given to me to do such a thing. I'd much rather not do that, have no extra money and have loads of quality time left on the Earth.