Time: A priceless, but misused asset in Ghana
An American poet, writer, and editor, Carl Sanburg, who lived between 1878 and 1967, once made this profound statement:
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“Time is the coin of your life. It is the only coin you have, and only you can determine how it will be spent. Be careful, lest you let other people spend it for you.”
The above quote seeks to bring to light the essence of time and the fact that it must be guarded jealously, as a mother hen guards her chicks, and expended judiciously.
Thus, time must be treated as a miser treats money, not wasting a bit of it.
Perhaps, it is because of the cardinal role time plays in all spheres of human endeavor that the cliché “time is money” has gain so much fame in the Ghanaian society.
However, the negative attitude towards the use of time appears so nauseating that one wonders if we are not killing the hen that lays golden eggs.
From the presidency, parliament, judiciary, public offices, corporate organisations, to the classroom; we appear to be toying with this priceless commodity with impunity. There have been countless occasions on which events and programmes failed to start on schedule, with the flimsy excuse, “ Sorry I am late. I was tied up with other commitments.”
Importance of time
My elementary Economics tells me that ‘productivity’ is defined simply as “output per man per hour.” This definition shows that the time element is an indispensable resource in measuring output. Thus, there is a direct correlation between the quality of time spent and work output.
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So, all things being equal, the more judicious use of one’s time during the production process, the greater the quality and quantity of output.
In the religious domain, time facilitates cordial relationship between the worshippers and the Supreme Being. For instance, salat, the second pillar of Islam, enjoins all muslims to observe five daily prayers, at stipulated times of the day. A strict adherence to this prayer schedule, draws the muslim closer to Allah.
The bible, in Ecclesiastes 3:1-11, categorically and explicitly states that there is time for everything on earth. By this provision, humans are able to live in accordance with the seasons. It does not only make human activities orderly, but compliance to this requirement glorifies the creator.
Why do people misuse time?
“Lost wealth may be replaced by investment; lost knowledge by study; lost health by temperance or medicine; but lost time is gone forever,” said Samuel Smiles, a Scottish author and government reformer.
The key reason is that laws in the country have been made a scarecrow for birds of prey to perch. Institutions and agencies have laws and code of ethics, which, of course, includes time consciousness. But, most of the time, they fail to enforce them.
Next on the accused bench is the lack of sanctions for people who willfully misuse time, especially public office holders and civil servants. Some public officials fail to report to duty at the stipulated contact hours, and there is no system in place to deter them. The immediate sufferer is the society; the country.The society is made up of systems and organs and so, any delay in the function of one organ affect other parts of the whole.
The way forward
I look forward to that day when public office holders would be fired by the superior forces for reporting late to work or duty without a justifiable reason.
If productivity is measured by the output per man per hour, then equally, wages and salaries should be made based on the number of contact hours that have been used judiciously, as pertains in other jurisdictions.
The concept of decentralisation must be encouraged and implemented practically to save the time-consuming bureaucratic tendencies that come with it. For instance, why must it take someone to travel from the remotest of villages in the countryside to process documents in Accra?
How I wish a law was made to compel organisers of events to pay for any delays in their programmes! That way, people will begin to value time and treat it with dignity.
Perhaps, I may have to leave you with the following excerpt from an unknown monk around 1100 AD:
“When I was a young man, I wanted to change the world. I found out I could not change the world, so I tried to change my nation.When I found out I could not change the nation, I began to focus on my town. I could not change the town, and as an old man, I tried to change my family.Now, as an old man, I realised the only thing I can change is myself. And suddenly, I realised that long ago, if I had changed myself, I could have made an impact on my family. My family and I could have made an impact on our town.
Their impact could have changed the nation, and I could indeed have changed the world.”
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Let us all remember that time is like a river, you cannot touch the same water twice.
Writer’s email: ngnenbetimothy@gmail.com