Why Everyone Is in a Hurry?

Farhana Rakshand

These days, it feels as though people are constantly racing against time. Everyone seems to be in a hurry—some rushing to the office during peak hours, others hurrying to reach school. From the young to the old, haste has become part and parcel of our lives. No deep observation is required to notice this hurriedness; it reveals itself daily on the roads, where every vehicle plying on the streets appears impatient with the one ahead. Horns blare endlessly, and each driver seems desperate to overtake another. In this urgency, concern for life—one’s own or that of others—appears to fade.

Even when people follow traffic rules, the desire to be first remains dominant. Fines no longer deter; reaching ahead matters more, even if it comes at a cost that could take lives on the road. This is what we witness most of the time. Everyone seems determined to arrive first, even in crowded traffic, without bothering about the penalties imposed by traffic police upon violations.

This kind of hurriedness is also visible when we disembark from an aircraft. Passengers immediately pull down their luggage from the overhead shelves. Even those instructed by the air hostess to remain seated after landing are often the first to rush towards the doors in order to exit quickly.

Another layer of this haste is evident in daily commuting, particularly at metro stations. The scene is striking—people are not merely walking; they appear to be running. Someone witnessing a metro station for the first time may feel overwhelmed, wondering whether something important has happened or whether a mishap has occurred, because haste seems to dominate the entire scene. Especially in foreign countries, people move from one place to another as if someone is chasing them. Although they must reach their workplaces on time and often live far away due to various reasons, the rush to grab a seat or catch a particular train is relentless.

So far, this reflects the haste associated with travel and traffic.

In recent times, this hurriedness has also entered the domain of learning. People now believe in completing training or acquiring skills as quickly as possible. Every day, advertisements claim to make people skilled through short-term training programmes and courses. Learning a language within a month has become a craze, replacing the idea of years of rigorous practice. Since nobody seems to have time, everyone wants to learn in the shortest possible period.

This impatience is not limited to learners alone but also includes sellers and service providers. They promise doorstep delivery at the earliest—whether it is food or daily-use items—often within 24 hours, or within two to three days if the distance is longer.

Now let us look at daily human interactions. This haste is evident even in close relationships. People have become so engrossed in their work and personal routines that they forget to talk. They are always in a hurry for one task or another.

People lose a great deal in this rush. Every task is completed as quickly as possible to save time, yet even after saving time, people still claim they have none.

Some people are busy making money, some are busy saving money, while others are constantly worrying about how to make money. In this endless cycle, they fail to give time to their loved ones at home. When asked, they simply reply, “I don’t have time.”

Today, almost everything can be bought, but time has become something that cannot be purchased. For instance, when it comes to online content, people no longer have the patience to watch long videos; short reels have become far more popular. This is where the chaos begins—we often fail to realise when time is slipping away.

From another angle, it can be said that this haste pushes people towards unlawful and exploitative practices. Everyone is eager to make money quickly, which leads many to actions that are neither permissible in Islam nor legal under the law. Yet impatience continues to dominate.

This tendency towards haste is also affecting how people perceive age. It is often said that those who are thirty should be considered twenty, and those who are forty should be considered thirty and so on. People perceive themselves as younger because time feels as though it is passing very fast. Generally, time appears to move faster when life is filled with problems. We remember childhood vividly because we lived those moments fully. As we grow older and become burdened with worries, the experience of truly living time disappears. Instead, it feels as though we are merely killing time, which is why it seems to end so quickly.

According to conspiracy theories, it is often claimed that time itself is moving faster. Some even say that an hour is no longer sixty minutes but has become fifty minutes. By this, they mean that although an hour passes, people are unable to complete the amount of work that was done earlier. From an Islamic perspective, this perception is linked to the loss of barakah (blessing) in time. Islam had foretold that a time would come when time would pass quickly, as if it had grown wings.

Additionally, claims are made that the Earth is spinning faster, that governments and NASA are hiding this fact, that the Earth’s magnetic field is changing, and that satellites are controlling time signals. It is also said that human consciousness is being altered through frequencies, 5G, Wi-Fi, and chemicals, and that our grandparents lived fuller lives in less time.

The reality, however, is that time is not speeding up; rather, human life has become heavy, noisy, and fragmented. This fragmentation creates the illusion that time is slipping through our fingers. Our lives have become robotic, with technology constantly attached to us. Whatever we do, we feel compelled to update it on social media. Even talent seems unable to progress unless it is displayed online.

The real problem lies in how we lose time. If we want time to feel longer, we must adopt discipline and order. From the beginning of the day to its end, we need to observe how and where our time is spent. Waking up early can be extremely helpful in preserving time. Short videos and endless scrolling consume a significant portion of the day, creating the illusion of learning while actually draining precious time.

If we set our phones aside, complete essential tasks first, and limit our use of technology, we may be able to reclaim our time. Those whose work is directly connected to technology often remain distracted by unnecessary emails, notifications, and messages, leaving little or no time for themselves.

What many fail to understand is that those spreading conspiracy theories are often stealing people’s time to gain likes, views, and money. Similarly, individuals who earn through social media are essentially consuming others’ time to increase their own income. Almost everything sold online in the name of entertainment contributes to this gradual drainage of time.

In today’s era, time has become a product through which money is made. The more time one gives, the more others earn, while one’s own time is depleted. Therefore, time should not be treated as something abstract or intangible, but as a real and valuable asset. Protection from those who take away our most precious possession—time—begins when we consciously decide whom to give our time to, how much to give, and whom not to give it at all.

That is why time must be regarded not merely as something abstract, but as a tangible and precious asset. Safeguarding it begins with a simple yet powerful decision: choosing wisely what—and whom—we allow to consume our time.

Perhaps what we need today is not more speed, but the ability to pause. We need to stop, wait, and reflect—otherwise, as wise men have long reminded us, only fools rush in.

Language Educator (French & English) | Writer

[email protected]