LONG TIME SHORT OR SHORT TIME LONG

I sometimes ponder the phenomena of how what is touted as a long time is really quite short in length if considered from another angle.

A person living to be 100 years of age is considered to have lived for a long, long time. One hundred years sounds a lot. Yet a centurion in years has a life span that has traversed only 36,525 days, including leap years. That sounds a long way shorter than representing the time as 100 years.

Six weeks school holiday at Christmas, including the pre and post weekends before returning to school. Six weeks – WOW! Yes, all of 1104 hours, including the pre and post weekends. Put like that, this long break seems like a damp squib. The way a length of time is calculated makes a huge difference to the way it is conceptualised

In similar vein, children with homework tasks may have ‘days and days’ until the assignment is due. They put of completion. Until they wake up and the due date is upon them.

In all contexts, we need to use time wisely.