A Fijian man was interviewed by a journalist from Melbourne and he couldn’t wrap his head around the Western concept of a “clock.” He described clocks as gods or “deities,” stating:
“Everybody worships them… They constantly look at their round faces and then run in fear.”
“The clocks are more than deities. They are tyrants.”
“The clock commands… and everyone runs to eat. Again… they cease eating and the clock orders them to bed.”
The clock is a god in this society, and it is a tyrant; it commands, it controls, and its power goes unquestioned.
We follow invisible rules and are terrified to displease the clock god. That fear comes in the form of being “late,” “lazy,” and “unproductive.”
The clock was not designed for joy, rest, or wellness. It was designed for productivity.
Before the clock, time was flexible, seasonal, and even personal.
As the Fijian man observed:
“In the Islands… one eats when one is hungry. Here, people eat when the clock commands them… [and] they might not be hungry!"
"If they wait until they become hungry, the clock might be giving different orders. It might be telling them to wash themselves or go to bed.”
“In the islands, people go to bed when they are tired. Here, the clock says go to bed and they might not be tired. What happens if they are not tired? They cannot disobey the clock."
This is all so puzzling to the Fijian man. He “has never seen so many clocks or slaves to clocks.” He stated:
“Although [clocks] stop… and start everything, they do not put out the lights or prevent people [from] working at night.”
“In New Guinea, when the sun sets, men rest. Here, they keep on pottering about building, driving trams, and digging in the street.”
He was witnessing a culture that amputated itself from its own nature. And his interview serves as a call to return to our cellular memory.
There are parts of us that remember how to feel things like hunger, sleepiness, grief, and pleasure. It remembers how to live by the moon, the season, the tides, by children’s laughter, aching hips, empty stomachs and the smell of rain.
As the Fijian man exclaimed:
"And the people! There are too many and they walk too fast. Always rushing about, always in a hurry. What is behind it all? What is the motive for all this hurry? I think it is those clocks. People are afraid of the clocks.”
People are afraid of falling behind. We are misled to believe that following the clock means getting ahead, when the truth is:
Messages
A Fijian man was interviewed by a journalist from Melbourne and he couldn’t wrap his head around the Western concept of a “clock.” He described clocks as gods or “deities,” stating:
“Everybody worships them… They constantly look at their round faces and then run in fear.”
“The clocks are more than deities. They are tyrants.”
“The clock commands… and everyone runs to eat. Again… they cease eating and the clock orders them to bed.”
The clock is a god in this society, and it is a tyrant; it commands, it controls, and its power goes unquestioned.
We follow invisible rules and are terrified to displease the clock god. That fear comes in the form of being “late,” “lazy,” and “unproductive.”
The clock was not designed for joy, rest, or wellness. It was designed for productivity.
Before the clock, time was flexible, seasonal, and even personal.
As the Fijian man observed:
“In the Islands… one eats when one is hungry. Here, people eat when the clock commands them… [and] they might not be hungry!"
"If they wait until they become hungry, the clock might be giving different orders. It might be telling them to wash themselves or go to bed.”
“In the islands, people go to bed when they are tired. Here, the clock says go to bed and they might not be tired. What happens if they are not tired? They cannot disobey the clock."
This is all so puzzling to the Fijian man. He “has never seen so many clocks or slaves to clocks.” He stated:
“Although [clocks] stop… and start everything, they do not put out the lights or prevent people [from] working at night.”
“In New Guinea, when the sun sets, men rest. Here, they keep on pottering about building, driving trams, and digging in the street.”
He was witnessing a culture that amputated itself from its own nature. And his interview serves as a call to return to our cellular memory.
There are parts of us that remember how to feel things like hunger, sleepiness, grief, and pleasure. It remembers how to live by the moon, the season, the tides, by children’s laughter, aching hips, empty stomachs and the smell of rain.
As the Fijian man exclaimed:
"And the people! There are too many and they walk too fast. Always rushing about, always in a hurry. What is behind it all? What is the motive for all this hurry? I think it is those clocks. People are afraid of the clocks.”
People are afraid of falling behind. We are misled to believe that following the clock means getting ahead, when the truth is:
The Fijian mean wasn't behind. He was free.
Thank you for reading
*man
im not fijan
Become Fijian then