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December 9th

SPENDTHRIFTS OF TIME

“Were all the geniuses of history to focus on this single theme, they

could never fully express their bafflement at the darkness of the

human mind. No person would give up even an inch of their

estate, and the slightest dispute with a neighbor can mean hell to

pay; yet we easily let others encroach on our lives—worse, we

often pave the way for those who will take it over. No person

hands out their money to passersby, but to how many do each of

us hand out our lives! We’re tight-fisted with property and money,

yet think too little of wasting time, the one thing about which we

should all be the toughest misers.”

—SENECA, ON THE BREVITY OF LIFE, 3.1–2

oday there will be endless interruptions: phone calls, emails, visitors,
unexpected events. Booker T. Washington observed that “the number
of people who stand ready to consume one’s time, to no purpose, is almost
countless.”
A philosopher, on the other hand, knows that their default state should
be one of reflection and inner awareness. This is why they so diligently
protect their personal space and thoughts from the intrusions of the world.
They know that a few minutes of contemplation are worth more than any
meeting or report. They also know how little time we’re actually given in
life—and how quickly our stores can be depleted.
Seneca reminds us that while we might be good at protecting our
physical property, we are far too lax at enforcing our mental boundaries.
Property can be regained; there is quite a bit of it out there—some of it still
untouched by man. But time? Time is our most irreplaceable asset—we
cannot buy more of it. We can only strive to waste as little as possible.