Commitment Meets Time

Commitment is the enemy of opportunity

The start of a new year includes an almost obligatory commitment to do better, do more in the coming dozen months. Unfortunately, good intentions, regardless of the goals, may not survive the first month or may simply never happen. Let’s put this down as human nature combined with being busy. Any “spare” time we have gets allocated to whatever seems most important or desirable at that moment from a potential list that is long and varied.

Anyone who has been around for more than a few decades notices that time seems to pick up speed, with months and years feeling shorter. Finding time for everything one wants to do, plans to do, has to do can be an endless process of prioritising and reprioritising. We are surrounded by clocks showing the time on phones, on walls, on buildings. Managing time is the foundation of living in a modern world.

I recently read a short interview with the outgoing governor of California, finishing the second of two terms, each consisting of two terms in two different decades. One question asked was about what didn’t get done, and this governor is known for sometimes delivering a philosophical response. Such was the case this time: “Wouldn’t you say this is a condition of life — that if you do one thing, you don’t do something else? I have a saying that fits this. Commitment is the enemy of opportunity. To do one thing is not to do something else.”

Now, this individual is a lifetime pragmatist, just like I am. In fact, the title of this blog came from him. In an interview in the 1970s he noted that his approach to everything was that of an eclectic pragmatist. I recognized immediately that this applied to me as well. The first inclination, regardless of topic or issue, is to seek a big-picture overview and place everything in rational perspective. Then comes deciding what to do when and in what sequence.

Reality then intervenes. It may be work related, chores and projects, interests and hobbies…whatever. It becomes apparent that either everything on the list gets very little time or some get far more and some far less…or none. And these include having fun. The commitment to doing one thing and thus not doing something else is always in play. We just may not be aware that this is the reality.

Pragmatists like life lessons. We rationalize what seems incoherent and undisciplined. Unlike free spirits, pragmatists prefer sufficient order upon which to contemplate reality. Which is better: not understanding why there isn’t time for everything or choosing what matters most and letting everything else go? The allocation of time is a combination of what one can control and what is determined by various realities.

A life well lived is about many things. What such a life consists of is highly dependent on what one wants, what makes each day satisfying, what brings the most pleasure. How we spend our time is a commitment of obligations, necessities and enjoyment. The last is often the reward for the other two. If life is ultimately about happiness, and happiness is about what we love to do, then commitment to making time for what brings happiness should be obvious.

Retirement is supposed to fix all of this, but ask many who are retired and it becomes evident that filling time with commitments remains easily accomplished. In fact, one could contemplate how one coped with commitment of time before retirement. My wife thinks cleaning the garage is a worthwhile commitment, I prefer to write this blog. Happy New Year.