Recently I have been going over some of the old sayings that we use throughout our life times. Some of them make absolutely no sense when you really analyze them critically. One of my favorite sayings to analyze is “time is money” because the interpretation of the saying really is diverse and depends significantly on the circumstance which it is used.

In times of war we can use this phrase to describe the amount of money being squandered by the government and also the cost of training replacement soldiers for those that are lost at war. With that in mind I ask you if time equals money and money equals time how do we judge the value of the time that we spend on this earth?

I have spent many months pondering this question and have come to the realization that there are different values for different people’s lives. If we were to place a monetary value on the life of a person we could consider the amount of time they are living and the things that they have done to determine the value of their lives. When we consider the monetary value of a life we also have to look into the events of their lives to determine if they are really living or if they are only alive. When we simplify our lives and look at it on an animal time line we are born, grow, reproduce, and die.

There are events in between but it is how we conduct our lives which determines our value not our popularity. Popularity really does not have much impact on the value of a life because of the fact that popularity is subjective. Popularity is subjective because of the fact that it can be influenced on factors which may or may not be under the control of the individual and also may be influenced by unsavory activities that the individual participates in. So essentially the value of our lives is determined by the amount of time we are alive, the value of our activities, and the progression of our lives.

When I look at this I find that some of the most valuable people are not necessarily who we think they would be. Most celebrities would not be nearly as valuable as the average individual and even a homeless person may be more valuable than the CEO of an influential company.

If we were to look at society and the way that value is portrayed throughout our communities we would see that value is determined in a completely different and superficial way. It is as if the fakest people, both in personality and appearance, are of higher value than those who are completely sincere and real. I find that our society has serious issues with the values that are placed on superficiality and uselessness.

When considering finances time generally does equal money. Most of us are paid by the hour which would mean that every hour not working is money lost. Those that are on salary generally can be run into the ground because employers do not pay by the hour and have no consideration for the amount of time that individuals are putting into their work.

Most salaried workers are losing money because of the amount of time that they are not being paid for. They are guaranteed a set amount of money for the year but the salary they are paid can be less than fifty cents an hour which is appalling. I can’t say this in regard for most sports figures because of the high salary they are paid for the limited number of games that are played. If they were paid by the hour for each game it would be a huge hourly rate.

Essentially, I have come to realize that every minute that is lost to futile activities is money that is not being placed in our pockets. This leads me to the conclusion that our economy is becoming a hellish affair. Our unemployment rates are getting higher and higher while people are losing their homes and their faith in the government. I have had very little faith in our government for a very long time and have found that those running it are rather incompetent and could not balance a budget if their lives depended on it.

Overall, time can be considered money in many ways. It is the value of the time and activities performed during the time that determine the amount of money it is worth. If for example you are a superficial bitch that neglects your duties for selfish reasons (i.e. drug use, fucking half of Hollywood, etc) your life is worth less than the bum on the corner asking for change while performing a drum solo on buckets and bottles. It is self proclaimed celebrities that smoke speed in alleys while portraying a “wholesome” image that destroy their own value. It is your own fault that you fail to amount to anything more than a stupid tweaker because you have chosen to follow a destructive path which lowers all value and integrity.

It is important to consider our actions as a determining factor in our value. Hypothetically speaking, our lives are valued by our actions, our contributions, time we spend alive, and the value of our interactions amongst each other. With that in mind I leave you with a famous quotation by Carl Sandburg “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.”

September 2, 2009
Bandit is an editorial author for a local SoCal magazine called Lost Anarchy.
“Thanks for giving us pause to re-think some thoughts.”