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Time in abundance or lack? The challenge of our perception of time
The article highlights the challenges of time perception on October 25, 2025 and reflects on time wealth and poverty.
Time in abundance or lack? The challenge of our perception of time
More and more people see time as an enemy and not as a valuable commodity. A feeling that is widespread and often makes our lives difficult. In her “Word for Sunday” Pastor Annette Behnken highlights the constant acceleration in which we live and asks how we can escape this hectic pace. She refers to biblical wisdom that says there comes a time for everything - to laugh, to cry, to work and to love. According to reporting by ARD media library Period poverty and the resulting pressure can have serious health consequences, including unhappiness and illness.
The increasing hectic pace of our everyday lives means that many of us have the feeling that we are constantly running behind. It would be important to view time not only as a resource, but also as something that has value in itself. Andreas J. Obrecht also reflects on this in his book “Time Wealth – Time Poverty”, in which he describes his experiences on a deserted South Pacific island. Obrecht calls for reflection on one's own perception of time and puts forward interesting arguments that time does not always have to be filled in order to be fulfilled. Information about this work can be found at lbib.de.
The sociology of time
Another exciting topic is the sociology of time, which examines the social understanding of time. Different cultures have different ways of dealing with time, which depend heavily on social factors. How Wikipedia describes, hunter and gatherer cultures often do not have an abstract concept of time, while agriculture and livestock breeding require a clear concept of time. Industrialization brought with it even more precise measurement technology, which revolutionized the way we handle time in minutes and seconds.
This development shows that our perception of time is strongly linked to the organization of social life. In modern societies, time is increasingly recognized as a valuable resource that needs to be managed - a phenomenon also known as “time is money”. The pressure to work more and more efficiently often leads to a feeling of lack of time and time pressure.
Nevertheless, it is important to pause and think about your relationship to time. Dealing with your own perception of time could help reduce stress and increase quality of life. In this way we could escape the constant feeling of running behind and create space for the essentials in the hustle and bustle of everyday life.