By Kathy Hughes
Contributing Writer
Okay, I don’t wear a watch. Many retirees do not, saying their time being ruled by a schedule is over and done with, along with the job. I’m not in complete agreement with that, as truthfully, my relationships with watches hasn’t gone well — they have been stolen, lost or they have stopped working. After the wind-up watch I’d worn for 20 years suddenly disappeared, I more or less gave up. For me, digital time is not the same as analog time — one is linear, the other is relational, and circular.
All of this goes to explain why, even though occasionally I need to know the time, I don’t wear a watch. I am not careless about time; I do not like always being early or late, but seldom on time. The stress is starting to get to me, and I find it to be a disability in the modern world. Given that I have a clock on the dashboard of my car, I’ve found that they can be inaccurate (because the car battery is low), or downright wrong (because the mechanic in the shop disconnected the battery for a time, but didn’t tell you).
Time was when nearly every street corner, certainly wherever there was a bank, a brightly lit, prominent sign displayed the time and temperature. Most offices and public places had a clock on the wall. Have you noticed? They are all gone.
With the advent of cell phones, I was shocked to learn that many young people did not wear watches. You’d ask them what the time was, and instead of looking at their wrist, they would check their cell phones. I was sure this forewarned of the demise of the watch, but, fortunately it has regained its prominence, partly as a status and fashion statement, but, moreover as a handy computer. That was a close call!
Recently, I had two appointments, one right after the other, and during the whole two-hour period, I was unable to find a clock anywhere. I found myself peering into store and private office windows, hoping to find a clock on the wall, but there was none. Despite this malicious withholding of information, I managed to be on time (well, actually, I was about 15 minutes early).
I find this trend of hiding time to be alarming. Someone told me that you’ll never find a clock in an airport. I suppose this is so you cannot blame the airport in the case where their clock is wrong, and you miss the plane for a crucial business meeting, but it seems perverse — to me, it’s downright mean. Suddenly, no one wants anyone else to know what time it is; it must be so as to lend the impression that there is no rush, to keep you in their store as long as possible or just for the sake of feeling superior.
Previously, I have referred to the instance when I missed a job interview as I unknowingly travelled from a state which observed daylight savings time (New Mexico), to a state which did not (Arizona). Daylight Savings Time and travel across time zones can cause confusion, whether or not you are wearing a watch.
Personally, I would love to have a watch, a beautiful watch, but not one that runs on batteries, wrist twitching or solar power. I do not want a digital or a “smart” watch, but an old fashioned, wind-up watch with visible numbers and a second hand.
Furthermore, I believe surroundings that inform everyone equally about the correct time (and temperature) are much friendlier, stress free, and accommodating, as opposed to the impersonal, alienating, and hostile environment where everyone keeps the time to themselves. Would it not be a better world if everyone knew what time it was?
