Write a 5-paragraph reaction paper responding to "Time and the Machine" by Aldous Huxley

                                            Reaction Paper

  According to Aldous Huxley's 1936 essay "Time and the Machine," society has become more conscious of time's tiny fractions, such as hours and minutes. According to one author, people were more conscious of time before industrialization. Seasons and celestial movements establish cosmic time. But the rise of industries and associated increase in production displaced the old way of thinking.

  The story of “Time and the Machine” begins with the idea that time is a new creation. He claimed that current time-sense, barely older than the USA, is an industrial by-product. It was an era of industry and mass manufacturing for the global market. Workers must catch trains, punch clocks, and complete jobs within strict time frames to achieve factory quotas. Unlike the traditional craftspeople, they cannot work at their own speed. They do not own their time since they sold it for cash. In short, time now owns them, influencing every aspect of their lives.

  This essay opened my eyes. I realized that being focused with work had blinded me to the sun's daily march across the sky. Like everyone is so wrapped up in their deadlines, trying to keep up with their crammed schedule, fearful of wasting a second. We are unconsciously sprinting in an infinite race that we know we can never catch up to. We constantly trade our time for something, to the point where this fabricated device possesses us. So, I agree with Huxley that “Time is our tyrant.”

  This increased awareness of time is vital. It is vital for productivity, organization, and timely completion of duties. It is required to suit society's needs. But this awareness makes everyone rushed and fatigued. People "lost the fine art of doing nothing", remarked Huxley. People felt compelled to work, as if sitting motionless and taking a break was a waste of time. They failed to embrace the changing seasons by getting one with nature. We feel anxious when we do not follow our routines, forgetting that it is okay to simply be.

  His article still resonates with me years later. The months-long quarantine regimen slowed our daily struggle against time. Everyone called it the “new normal” since it was not like the regular rushed days to work, school, or other appointments. Now we are trapped to our four walls, where time appears to stand still. That is why remaining at home enables us to spend our time as we like and at our own speed. Having gained a new awareness, our current condition allows us to reclaim our former consciousness. This provided us a chance to escape the tyranny of manufactured technology. We did not have to live in “an affair of revolving wheels [and is] measured in seconds and minutes.” We are now free to choose between pursuing time and fully inhabiting the present.