Time is Money

We went on “date night” last night.  Something my wife and I try to do regularly. It was rainy and ugly and I wasn’t in much of a mood to go anywhere.  But we went.

The agreed upon movie was “In Time” starring Justin Timberlake and Amanda Seyfried.  It was a fascinating movie.  The movie was all about time.  You live for 25 years and then your clock starts ticking, literally.  You worked at a job to get time to lengthen your life.  For everything you purchase, it cost you time that shortened your life.  You could earn time.  Share time.  Steal time. Borrow time. Gamble away time.  In this movie, “time is money.”

Part of the fascination of this movie for me was, that even in that society, there were the “haves” and the “have-nots.”  For the “have-nots,” life was a scramble for more time. Every purchase seemed to be thought out and calculated with the end result, “How much time to I have left.”  The “haves” didn’t seem to notice the cost of things.  They knew that they had plenty of time and that life would not end soon.

Without giving away all the details of the movie, I have been drawn back time and again in the way time was spent.  Every transaction seemed to be done with careful consideration.  Do I really need this?  How much time will I have left?  Will I have enough time until I can get more or will my life “time-out (die)?”

If we gave the same consideration as to how we spend our time and money, this world would be a much better place in which to live.  With this consideration, we seem to become aware of how precious life really is.  Not only for us, but for all people.  We learn that true generosity comes out of a place of gratitude in our own lives, where we remember someone else generously sharing with us when we were in need.  There becomes a deep need and passion to help others.

How will you share your time and money?  

Do you know how precious life is?  

Isn’t it time that we shared that with others?

For many of us today, we find that we have more time at the end of the money.  So what do we do with our time?  We don’t have to worry quite as much about the hour of our demise. We can take a lesson from the movie.  Life seemed to be more precious.

2011 Dale Jones, Synago Consultant

Hallyu

I spent a great deal of my time 2004-2009 in Korea. Even as an expat with limited understanding and appreciation for the unique expression of Korean culture films I became vary aware of their growing popularity across Asia and beyond.  

The Korea Society is the foremost and oldest non-profit private organization in the U.S. dedicated to expanding understanding of Korea. After his tour of duty in what U.S. historians typically call the Korean War, U.S. Army General Van Fleet established the Society to promote understanding and cooperation between the U.S. and Korea people. The Society has been active in recent years in promoting Korean film with the Museum of the Moving Image in New York though a large, annual film festival.

When we think of "Korea" these days, we inevitably think of something contemporary first. A good keyword to use to describe Korea would be "successful innovation", not only in economics, but also in political, cultural and international diplomacy. "Hallyu", or the Korean Wave of fashion, style, music and art, has become a cultural phenomenon in Asia for the last fifteen years and is beginning to take hold in the United States.  There's a growing awareness of the world of arts and design in Korea, particularly Korean film and literature. 

One of the challenges of East Asia relations has historically been the bond between Korea and Japan. Geographically close, the two countries share an intertwined history; yet have two very distinct cultures and languages, each rich and diverse. Tourism from Korea to Japan, and from Japan toward Korea has been rapidly increasing in this last decade.  The current administration of Korean President Lee Myung-bak has handled relations with Japan with a mature, sophisticated and sensitive approach. The Japanese are impressed by the political, economic, and industrial achievements of the last 25-30 years on the Korean peninsula. The youthful pop cultures in Japan and Korea are increasingly influencing American and European music, theater and arts. 

c. 2011 Gary W Logan, Synago Consulting