PROMPT:
Tell us about an intellectual experience, either directly related to your schoolwork or not, that you found particularly meaningful. A paragraph to a page in length is ideal.
THE ESSAY:
Upon finishing an episode of Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey, I engaged in hearty discussion with my friend, Jacob, about the intricacies of time. We moved the conversation from a purely scientific standpoint (analyzing the effects of gravity on time) to a philosophical perspective (whether or not time actually exists), and even to a cynical view (asserting that man created time as a way to control others), but the topic that had truly resonated with us, was the value of time.
It seemed to us that of all the things in the world that one could buy, time is not one of them. Seconds outweigh gold bars tenfold - especially when it is your time. The serendipitous realization that every action performed takes up time - finite and limited time - struck me as deceptively obvious. There is a rental cost for your corporeal form and it is paid by the minutes and hours from your life; furthermore, the payment can never be refunded. It had also dawned upon me that time acts as a chisel - it sets things in stone. Any and all things that have passed have gone and cannot be altered.
Although this new understanding is already particularly heavy and unsettling, the true gravitas around the matter was made clear when I connected it my own life. It made me aware of the activities I was engaged in - be they beneficial (school, homework, athletics) or not (procrastination, video games, overt studying). I analyzed whether or not these activities were worth my time and if there was something else I could do to use my time wisely. My time could be used to develop my skills in sports, to improve and work on my character, or to ensure my performance in school - all it would take would be some effort and a little time management; otherwise, I would let copious amounts of sand fall through the hourglass without really putting it to good use. This experience made me realize that time is limited, nonrefundable, and therefore precious; and in conjunction with the discussion, the incessant ticking of the clock could be heard in the background.
Tell us about an intellectual experience, either directly related to your schoolwork or not, that you found particularly meaningful. A paragraph to a page in length is ideal.
THE ESSAY:
Upon finishing an episode of Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey, I engaged in hearty discussion with my friend, Jacob, about the intricacies of time. We moved the conversation from a purely scientific standpoint (analyzing the effects of gravity on time) to a philosophical perspective (whether or not time actually exists), and even to a cynical view (asserting that man created time as a way to control others), but the topic that had truly resonated with us, was the value of time.
It seemed to us that of all the things in the world that one could buy, time is not one of them. Seconds outweigh gold bars tenfold - especially when it is your time. The serendipitous realization that every action performed takes up time - finite and limited time - struck me as deceptively obvious. There is a rental cost for your corporeal form and it is paid by the minutes and hours from your life; furthermore, the payment can never be refunded. It had also dawned upon me that time acts as a chisel - it sets things in stone. Any and all things that have passed have gone and cannot be altered.
Although this new understanding is already particularly heavy and unsettling, the true gravitas around the matter was made clear when I connected it my own life. It made me aware of the activities I was engaged in - be they beneficial (school, homework, athletics) or not (procrastination, video games, overt studying). I analyzed whether or not these activities were worth my time and if there was something else I could do to use my time wisely. My time could be used to develop my skills in sports, to improve and work on my character, or to ensure my performance in school - all it would take would be some effort and a little time management; otherwise, I would let copious amounts of sand fall through the hourglass without really putting it to good use. This experience made me realize that time is limited, nonrefundable, and therefore precious; and in conjunction with the discussion, the incessant ticking of the clock could be heard in the background.
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