Executive summary: This is just a very short reflection… and I do not have a Rolex.
There is fascination for watches in some people, frequently among men. It is believed that it is the “jewelry” of men. Let me share some thoughts about that.
A friend of mine recently told me that an acquaintance of him had sold his Rolex, he did not want it anymore. A very successful businessman who travels on a regular basis from the US to Europe and Asia. In one of his trips, while in a high-end hotel, someone taking care of him was wearing a Rolex. He asked if it was a legit one, and … it was. He felt part of a crowd, a feeling unbearable to him.
That short story got me thinking… first I do not have a Rolex. I belong to that massive crowd who do not have one. Then I thought, what is it with watches? Are they marks of the breeds we belong to? Do we, human beings, so desperately need that feeling of uniqueness? Are we not contradicting ourselves? Those moments when we feel more real, more human come to us when we feel connected with other human beings, in a state of flow with them.
Furthermore, why do we use watches? What does a watch measure? I think we talked about the measure of time as movement. Time only exists if there is some change from before to after, from potency to act. A watch, not even a Rolex, does not measure the before and after. A watch with its tick tock is alien to changes or meaning. A watch is a beautiful piece of metal that measures nothing of relevance.
Why do we “measure” what we cannot grasp or control? Time is out of boundaries for us, entropy is unidirectional and there is nothing we can do about it. The legend attributed to St Augustine recounts that he met a boy at the seaside who was running back and forth between the sea and the pool with a seashell of water, what are you doing asked St Augustine: “I’m emptying the sea into this pool!” to which St Augustine answered “Son, you can’t do that!”
In summary, we attempt to measure something we just cannot measure, with a machine that underlines our uniqueness. However, we are more human when our uniqueness disappears and connect at a deep level with other human beings.
I will drink something, I may understand it by the end of it (the bottle).
Note to self: Entropy is just a fancy word for decay, growing disorder, death. Next time do not be so pretentious with the new words you just learnt.