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President's Message
January 2008

Time's Value is Going Up.

It was in my early 30s when I came to the realization that adults spend a great deal of time talking about time. We observe and comment to each other about how fast the week, the year or even our entire lives are passing. We wonder about where our lives have been, where they are going and if we still have enough time to do the things that we conceived of doing when we were younger. Hint to answer: there is usually enough time, but you don't always conceive of doing the same things anymore. The turning of the new secular year has me thinking in this mode.

It occurs to me for the first time that I have memories of my own father when he was my age. It is hard to believe that I have the same amount of wisdom that my all-knowing, all-sensing, omnipotent dad had when he was about 40. It is also hard for me to recognize the 71 year old man that calls himself my dad now. It further occurs to me that my son, at eight and a half years old, is half way to adulthood. It is hard to believe that he is the same all-knowing, all sensing, omnipotent kid that I was, or thought I was, at the same age.

It further occurs to me that my son will view the decade of my teenage years, the 1980s, in a similar fashion to the way I view my father's teenage years, the 1950s - yikes!. And finally, it occurs to me that I no longer view a year, or even ten, as a long period of time. Indeed, not only does time appear to be accelerating, but it seems to do so at a geometrically progressive pace.

I am sure that most everyone plays these same sorts of games in their mind. While I know that some are driven to despair over the passage of time, I prefer to maintain a philosophical attitude. There is no way to know how much time we have. Some of us may live to be 100 and some of us may die tomorrow.

Given this uncertainty, I take great solace that the passage of time adheres to the economic principals of supply and demand. As our remaining supply of time decreases, it becomes more valuable. As I age, I realize that I have less time left in my life, but I enjoy and appreciate time more. Whether I am playing football with my son, enjoying Shabbat with friends, or even being stuck in traffic, I realize that every additional moment makes me richer.

As we pass into 2008, I wish you all health, happiness and, importantly, an appreciation of the increasing value of time.

Jamie Green
President