CHEWABLE — There is no past and future – only the now.
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The concept of “time being fluid rather than a rigid thing” is universal among black people. For Africans, time flows from the present into the past. This is seen in ancestral communication, respect of elders, maintaining tradition, etc. We don’t die; instead, we travel to another plane of existence. Westerners, on the other hand, behave as though there’s only one life. They say, “time is money” where time is used to maximize profit at all costs.
Let’s illustrate the African concept of time by way of example — A Westerner would likely get angry about a paid transaction and a promised timely delivery that did not materialize as expected. The African would be surprised by such anger because an agreement establishes a friendship. If one of us doesn’t deliver in a timely manner, we accept it because that’s what friendship means. If I fail to bring the money for a payment on my boat in the time agreed upon, the boat builder will not be upset. He’ll wait. Likewise, when the boat builder is late with completing the boat, I will not be upset. I’ll wait because we seek to remain as friends through an ever-changing world that we do not control.
By the way, Africans know what time it is — many of the wonders of the ancient world such as the Great Pyramids of Giza were clocks!!! But that’s a discussion for another time.
