Is time an illusion, and lunch time doubly so?

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7 Answers

Walt O'Reagun Profile
Walt O'Reagun answered

Depends on the person, I guess.

Personally ... I find if I take the mandated break periods at work, they drag on.  I would much rather be at my desk working, than "on break" doing nothing.

Not that I'm a workaholic ... I just don't enjoy being told "sit here and do nothing", when there is a ton of work to get done.

5 People thanked the writer.
Benjamin Coleman
Benjamin Coleman commented
Me too. I'll take enough time to go to the toilet, grab a drink and maybe a bite to eat and then I'm back to work. I hate sitting still.
Walt O'Reagun
Walt O'Reagun commented
The irony is that, as Payroll, part of my responsibility is to make sure employees take their mandated breaks.
Didge Doo Profile
Didge Doo answered

Can be.

I know a former computer programmer at Qantas who said that once every year his section held a "short lunch". The catch is that the only thing short about it was that it was held on the winter solstice -- the shortest day of the year. It began at 1 o'clock and went on until the last person could drink no more.

On one occasion somebody made up a sign for him to be hung around his neck on the train ride home. It read, "Please wake me gently when we reach Blaxland."

But a great deal has been written about the relativity of time. It flies by when you're enjoying yourself but tends to be very slow if you're sitting on a hot plate (or forced to listen to a boring presentation). On the other hand, in moments of emergency, your mind can process an amazing amount of data in microseconds. It's a mystery.

You specifically mentioned lunch time and that's a valid exception. Lunch time can take on enormous importance to a person dieting. Although their morning passes quite comfortably if they're permitted to snack, it drags by when they're hungry and their eyes find their way to the clock every ten minutes as the brain (or the stomach) calculates how long before food brings blessed relief. Then, of course, lunch gets wolfed down leaving the poor old dieter to start looking forward to dinner. Is it any wonder that junk food is such a profitable industry?

Ray Dart Profile
Ray Dart answered

Ahh, an h2g2 afficionado.

otis otiscambell Profile

The illusion is in jail or prison their is no clocks

Pepper pot Profile
Pepper pot answered

Time is a measurement of space. Lunchtime is when it is recommended to pull over to the garage and refuel. If you sit and clock watch time tends to drag, but when you are doing something you enjoy or is productive in a fulfilling way then it tends to fly by. It is all down to personal experience. 

Deston Elite Profile
Deston Elite answered

I hope not. Then, it's gonna become legal for bosses to start telling their employees, "You don't get a lunch break. Lunch breaks are an illusion."

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