Jeremy Rifkin tackles big issues in his books, and Time Wars is no different. Rifkin wants his readers to think about time in a way so it supports our basic human dignity, instead of crippling it. Those are strong words, but I think that Rifkin is tapping into a huge amount of frustration many people experience in this speeded up, digitalized, electronic world. 

As a company that focus on helping people achieve results with their time, TMI is sensitive to this issue. A book like Time Wars at least makes the reader more aware of the implications of how social structures affect us as humans. I don't think that anything is going to change as a result of Rifkin's book (after all it was written in 1987, and the world has only become faster and more computerized), but he raises some provocative points that deserve consideration. If nothing else, his book will make you think differently about time. 

Rifkin starts his introduction with a basic notion: "Time is fundamental. It is the principle that underlies and permeates our physical and biological systems. It is the language of the mind, informing our behavior and defining our personality. Time is the instrument that makes possible group interaction and the creation of culture." 

Rifkin doesn't attempt to define time; rather he sensibly quotes St. Augustine: "What is time? If no one asks me, I know. If I want to explain it to a questioner, I do not know." Philosopher Alfred North Whitehead, who Rifkin also quotes, was equally frustrated, "It is impossible to meditate on time...without an overwhelming emotion at the limitations of human intelligence." 

Time Wars attempts to explain time in terms of how we think about things, and how our societies are organized. Rifkin talks about how we schedule our lives with great precision, and the price we pay for this. He talks about how we concentrate on immediate gains, and the price that we pay for losing the overview. Rifkin discusses how our days have become shaped by the time demands of modern industry, rather than guided by organic evolution. He discusses how our values are shaped by our activity around time. His chapter on Time Schedules and Factory Discipline is particularly interesting, and helps to explain the frustration of most modern employees. 

For example, he writes: "The clock culture called forth a new faith: the future could be secured if everyone would only learn to be on time." I just completed a seminar that included discussion of meetings: problems with them, what they accomplish, and how to make them more effective. One member of the group insisted that the most important thing for any meeting is that it starts and ends on time. This person would seem to be who Rifkin is describing. But, as I gently pointed out in the seminar, what difference does it matter when the meeting occurs, where it is held, or who is there, as long as it accomplishes the purpose of the meeting. Many managers have the notion that workers who show up on time are more valuable to the company than those who actually accomplish something. This puts a lot of faith on being on time. Time wars, indeed! 

Janelle Barlow, President 

TMI USA

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