We Can Give The Gift Of Time

Or continue playing telephone

a person gives the gift of time to another, sleek, futuristic, cyber surrealism — by DALL·E

Time is the most precious and equalising resource: giving it to someone is the most generous gift.

The world is faster than ever: we are all urged to rush every action and interaction, even our sleep, for fear of missing out. In the age of communication and information, we constantly misunderstand concepts and people, not because we lack the means but because we don’t have the time necessary for any meaningful connection.

I remember the first time I played Chinese whispers (or telephone). A teacher sat a bunch of six- or seven-year-olds in a circle. Then, she passed a message that had to be repeated from kid to kid. The penny dropped for me that day. The fact that the final sentence did not resemble the original words in the slightest seemed like magic. How was that possible? And since it was, what did it mean? It would probably be many years before I thought about it properly again. It is a hard truth to come to terms with: if we allow the transmission to occur between a large enough number of parties, any information we pass will inevitably be contaminated and distorted beyond recognition.

These days, I play different games. For instance, every morning, I begin with a brain-stretching routine that involves exercises on calculus, memory and comprehension. In some of…