Publisher's Synopsis
For centuries some poets have lamented the fact that we have no time to 'stop and stare', while others have reminded us that 'time's winged chariot' is always at our backs. Western society, and increasingly the rest of the world too, is ruled by the clock. Was it always so?
Jönsson observes how the arrival of measured, accurate timekeeping became first our tool, and then our master. She notes that the wives of labourers in past days rebelled when told their husbands would be paid in money, for their time, rather than the earlier custom of payment in kind for a job of work done. They felt that the equation, Time = Money, was somehow dangerous. Since then a large part of western development has more and more revolved around the notion of 'saving time' - and by implication, money. We now live longer on average than ever before, yet most of us feel we have no spare time. Technology promises instantaneous results, mobile phones and computers should give us the leisure we crave, yet the speed of society increases to match the savings, and we end up running harder to stay in the same place. Neither pure philosophy, still less physics, this is not a business book on time-management either, but has elements of all three. With brevity, humour and sense Jönsson shows us the way to feel less pressured and enjoy life more, preserving our humanity while working and living in the fast lane. It could inspire a whole new relationship with Time.
