On Being on Time

Waiting at lights, swearing at traffic while trying to get to appointments on time, gives time to reflect on the uses of time. Time takes up space. Time past, time future, time present take different meanings from the space they fill.

            Ancient Romans liked time past. It’s filled with deeds. Time past could take up a lot of space, because the ancestors lived there. Modern Americans like time future. That’s where deeds reside. For ancients, though, the future belonged to the gods. It might be better not to allow it too much space. Time could be juggled, through lucky and unlucky days, festival time, calendar time that continually lost time, water clocks and shady sundials. Now we have digital clocks and atomic time.

            Time for some is eternal present. Therefore don’t swear at the traffic: this too is living. Time is also status. One who waits is lowly. In some cultures, a couple of hours late is good to impress high status. The space in time a person takes up is the right of a social position. Impatience from a waiter would be folly.

            The time of the Eucharist is triple time: past, present and future brought together. A Trinity.