Where Did the Time Go? Erin Hugo

WHERE DID THE TIME GO?

ERIN HUGO

TODAY, I COME TO YOU, READER, WITH AN OPINION THAT HAS FRANKLY GOT ME INTO ALL SORTS OF ARGUMENTS:

I BELIEVE THAT THE WATCH IS BECOMING IRRELEVANT.

Of course, when I say this, I do not mean the very means of time itself. I reference the wristwatch and how I think it is going to be left in the wake of the inevitable progression of technology. I ask you: why would we want to choose a simple wristwatch over a groundbreaking new piece of technology like the Fitbit or the Apple Watch? Isn’t it time we let the watch become obsolete, like the penny-farthing for the bicycle or the rotary telephone for the mobile phone?

LET’S TAKE THIS BACK IN TIME FOR A MOMENT.

The first modern mechanical clock was invented in 1510 with the use of a quartz stone that created a pulse exactly one second long. Soon after, the invention of wristwatches within the Tudor age triggered a huge growth in popularity, from use within the navy to symbols of wealth and power. By World War I, they were a vital piece of tech for every soldier to stay punctual and organise attacks. Everybody owned a watch. Not only were they practical, but they were also stylish and a sign of wealth. Families passed down watches over generations as heirlooms of great value and a way to tie themselves to their heritage and family tree.

HOWEVER, IS THE WATCH REALLY JUST AS RELEVANT TODAY?

Firstly, we have a lot of other ways to tell the time. The invention of the first mobile phone with a clock installed, the IBM Simon, was introduced in 1993, which means that simply checking your phone for the time has been a viable option for over 25 years. And it’s not only handheld phones.

The chances are pretty high that there is a clock near you somewhere,

right now. Even a microwave or oven these days can tell you the time. Now, I am not suggesting that you walk around with a microwave instead, but there are certainly alternatives. And, of course, this is not even to mention the newest technological developments instead of wearing a watch.

TORSTEN DETTLAFF @PEXELS The Apple Watch, which debuted in late 2014, was one of the first prominent pieces of wearable technology. It boasted all of the features of a mobile phone and a wristwatch, including the ability to tell the time, message, make phone calls, link to other Apple devices and even count your steps. Many people grew to wonder: why would I wear a watch if I could have this? Certainly, it was more useful and productive, and the price also attracted consumers. Its launch price was $349, which, in comparison to the average price of a Swiss watch that year at $803, was also definitely a factor in its initial appeal. Smartwatches marked a new

era in the watch industry that was most likely one of the biggest causes of the decline of the traditional wristwatch.

As more and more wearable technology was introduced, more and more people reached for a watch that could ‘do it all’ over a comparatively simple analogue watch. In 2015, there were 96.7 million wearable technology sales worldwide, while sales for 2020 are expected to be closer to 600.6 million, showing just how much sales have skyrocketed over the last 5 years. Furthermore, with such a range of wearable technology now on the market, there really is something for everyone. From a health-conscious Fitbit that calculates steps and heartbeat with a corresponding stopwatch and timer, to watches that can even measure blood pressure for more medically inclined consumers, the wristwatch is becoming lost in the growing enormity and popularity of technology.

I know lots of people who would immediately say no. For many, the watch holds a certain possessive significance to them, as a phone might. It becomes part of them. It becomes a routine to take it off every night before bed and put it on in the morning, and it feels strange to not have it around their wrist. For many men, who still don’t feel comfortable embracing more stereotypically feminine jewellery such as rings, bracelets and necklaces, the watch is their own jewellery and their way to express themselves. Certainly, it is also most likely a symbol of wealth for people, as a watch such as a Rolex can have a value of tens of thousands of pounds. Perhaps to own a watch feels like a statement, both as an expression of one’s self in a more conservative and less traditionally feminine manner, but also of wealth and status. For them, the watch is more than just some cogs and screws: it is precious.

Sadly, I can’t relate. Having either not found a watch that I like, or not owning one for longer than a week without losing it, I’ve never felt the same level of closeness with a watch as I’m sure many experience. Perhaps this is why I feel much more ready than most to leave the watch behind. But perhaps it is not only the watch I am willing to leave.

MISTER @PEXELS I believe that technology is a powerful, driving force that we could not stop even if we tried. Our curiosity has grown: walls have been broken and ideas have been made in the millions. This isn’t something we have to view in fear, but rather something that we should embrace. There are new solutions to nearly every inconvenience we can think of, new equipment to help us every day and get us everywhere, and this is without even mentioning the growing ability that we, as humans, have with the assistance of technology. However, if we

cling to items from the past, we are inevitably going

to slow our progress down. My view is that if you want to move forward, you need to be willing to leave things behind. Much like how we embrace each new update or announcement for our mobile’s new and ever more imaginative features, we should embrace the direction in which watches are heading. Sure, you may leave an old watch behind, but what amazing technology are you going to be able to get instead?

THEREFORE, I ASK, IS IT TIME TO LEAVE THE TRADITIONAL WATCH BEHIND AS WE MOVE ON IN OUR TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENT?

Of course, it takes time for people to adapt to something new, but as the saying goes, you have to step outside of your comfort zone for the magic to happen. Who knows how magical watches could be in 20 years’ time? Are you going to find out and experience the new innovations of what technology will have to offer or are you going to stick to the old-fashioned watch?

I KNOW WHERE I WILL BE.

I ONLY HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE WITH ME.

TRIAL. ERROR. REPEAT. Do we learn from the past?

““ EMMA WIGGETTS This was said by George Santayana, a murder of innocent people. I think Those who cannot remember the past are doomed to repeat it. philosopher in the early 20th century. that it would be highly unlikely for It carries the message that if humans anything on the same scale to occur don’t learn from history, the mistakes again in the Western world, however, of the past will inevitably be repeated. there are examples of it happening However, does the human race in the 21st century in other areas. The actually follow this philosophy? Or is Rohingya people, a Muslim minority it more correct that we, as humans, in predominantly Buddhist Myanmar, like to think that we are learning from have been denied citizenship by the history while we continue into the Myanmar government, despite having future in ignorance of previous errors? lived there for generations. Over the past few years, hundreds of thousands Arguably, the most shocking event of of Rohingya people have been forced the 20th century was the Holocaust, into neighbouring Bangladesh and the the ruthless genocide in which six UN has labelled it an ‘ethnic cleansing’ million Jews were systematically campaign. Amnesty International has murdered. People were, and still said that Myanmar security forces have are, horrified, not just at the pure carried out a ‘targeted campaign of evil of Hitler and the Nazis, but also widespread and systematic murder, at the lack of resistance to this mass rape and burning’. What is even more

shocking is how little media attention this

has received and how little governments

have done to put an end to it. We cannot say that we have properly learnt from our past when we aren’t actively stopping ethnic cleansing.

A LACK OF LEARNING FROM THE PAST IS NOT ONLY EVIDENT IN MORE RECENT HISTORY, BUT ALSO THROUGHOUT TIME.

PIXABAY @PEXELS

A further example of persecution of ethnic minorities is the concentration camps in Xinjiang, China, which the world hardly knows about. Uighurs and other Muslim minorities have been sent to these camps against their will and without trials. In March 2019, the governor of Xinjiang dismissed the camps as ‘boarding schools’, but this is false. It’s not yet a genocide,

but it could easily lead to one if the world

chooses to turn a blind eye. Both of these examples show something rather ironic; by trying to not repeat the past and avoid a third world war, we are repeating the past by ignoring the oppression of ethnic minorities in countries around the world.

Another period that we now look back on with disgust is the time of colonialism and slavery; vulnerable people were taken advantage of and put to work in awful conditions. Yet the same description could apply to the impoverished slaves of capitalism, working in sweatshops in poorer parts of the world. Evidently, Western countries have not learnt their lesson about abusing their wealth and power.

After World War I, people could never have believed there could be another war in just over 20 years due to the sheer level of destruction, but it did happen. After World War II, people didn’t want a third world war, however the USA and the Soviet Union spent over 40 years teetering on the precipice of nuclear war.

A lack of learning from the past is not only evident in more recent history, but also throughout time. When Ethelred II ruled Anglo-Saxon Britain, the Danish Vikings kept invading and Ethelred kept raising a ‘Danegeld’ tax in order to pay off the Vikings and make them stop invading Britain. Ethelred kept paying the Vikings more and more, yet his efforts were in vain as they continued to invade. He obviously failed to learn from his past errors. Furthermore, in medieval times, Europeans used Christianity as an excuse to kill many innocent people in the Crusades. Now in modern times, ISIS is using Islam as an excuse for the murder of innocent people.

Looking at history proves to us that, although we have made many mistakes, we continue to not learn from them. As Abraham Lincoln once said: ‘Human nature will not change’.

Throughout time, even though we wish it didn’t, human nature remains more or less the same: the same desire for power, the same capability for evil and the same disregard for human life. Ultimately, I think that there are two questions that all of this boils down to … Should humans learn from the mistakes of the past to benefit them in the present and in the future? Absolutely. But do we as humans learn from the past errors of mankind?

NO, WE DO NOT.