The Twist of Time and the Tireless Pursuit of More

In the remote beauty of the Scottish Highlands, within the sprawling expanse of the Alladale Wilderness Reserve, I found myself at the helm leading an experience for extraordinary visionary leaders all with a heart to impact humanity. This setting was not just a backdrop but a vital component of our Wisdom Council, an experience meticulously designed to delve into the complexities of life missions intertwined with the broader ambition of effecting positive change through business. As we sat surrounded by rolling hills, shrouded in dense mists, and the palpable pulse of the ancient land, seven council members, my co-facilitator, and I embarked on a profound journey, unraveling how to reemerge and assert our life missions through impactful business endeavors.

Leading group work day over day, where I attempt to create the right environment physically, emotionally, and psychologically for people to do reflective work and put it into action, often leaves me on a delicate balancing stone. I must skirt a boundary where I am ‘in it’ enough to grasp the emotional and psychological currents but detached enough to guide and contain the group’s dynamics effectively. Reflecting on our four days of intense collaboration, I distilled a few insights, all revolving around the elusive, often misunderstood concept of time.

Time: What Is Time, Anyway?

Time—what is it really? We talk about wanting more of it as if it's a commodity we can store, save, or spend. It’s an illusion, a construct we chase, misled by technological (e.g., GenAI) promises of efficiency and simplicity. “You’ll have so much more time,” we say. “You can perform these tasks faster,” or “You can save your company a lot of money.” Such claims pervade our lives. But does anyone stop to ask, "What will we do with this saved time?" Companies argue that it allows for focusing on higher value activities, enhancing profitability and competitive edge. Are those things really important in the long run—meaning several 100’s of years? As we dive into my takeaways, let’s challenge ourselves to look beyond the superficial gains of "more time" and explore its deeper implications.

I hope you enjoy!

Reclaiming Time for Rest and Reflection

During one intense session where I found myself wrestling with a desire to challenge and contradict the members, a feeling I managed and selectively expressed, the discussion centered around crisply articulating life missions. It was then that a stark realization hit me: I was immensely tired. This fatigue wasn't just physical but a deep, existential weariness from constantly holding space for others without allowing myself the same courtesy. When would I take the time for myself, to be held and to delve into my deeper work? I hadn't planned for any of my own deep work this week, nor had I intended to do so at all this year.?

This moment underscored a broader realization—that just as we need downtime to replenish our spirits, our planet benefits from our stillness. When will we hold space for the Earth to regenerate? Just like a human body, She too will eventually break down if continuously strained. When She suffers, so do we.

Clearances, Capitalism, and Culture

Our time in the Highlands included learning about the clearances that historically scarred the region. The narrative rattled me unexpectedly, resonating deeply as I connected it to the broader story of displacement and exploitation seen worldwide. The Highland Clearances, particularly intense around 1750 and again in 1860, involved indigenous populations being forcibly removed, homes burned, and lands repurposed for economic gain—primarily sheep grazing. Reflecting on these events illuminated the cyclical nature of human exploitation and environmental disregard. If we continue to use 'saved' time to fuel economic growth, are we not in some way echoing these historical injustices under the guise of modern capitalism?

Really think about it a little. We save time and then we immediately reinvest that time back into “work”. Why, to have more stuff in our homes and more toys in the garage? Every single thing we purchase on Amazon or at the store comes from the earth. Do we really want more or are we trying to fill a void in our souls that material wealth will never fill? What if we used that time for things that actually nourish humanity rather than demand us to work harder to acquire, maintain, and protect our “stuff”. I’ll own my part too. I write all this as I sit on Cherokee land and fully participate and benefit from a capitalistic system as a privileged white man, albeit, with an ancestry from those very hills. The house my father grew up in had no indoor plumbing. I have benefited greatly from broader systems at play.

The Individual and Collective Rhythm

"I wanna go fast," says a famous line by Ricky Bobby, which humorously captures the relentless societal pressure to accelerate and excel in everything we do.?

During a foraging excursion through the glen, my ever so slight frustration at our slow pace led to a revelation: each person has a natural rhythm that should be respected. I thought, “I’d like to speed up”. I then caught myself wondering where do I need to go and why do I need to go faster? All we were doing was looking for plants to eat and there were plenty of things around us to look at and learn about. “Interesting”, I thought. I am not really headed anywhere and yet I feel a need to get nowhere faster. I thought about the pleasure I get from intensity sometimes and also what I could miss in the forest by moving so quickly.

Whether one enjoys the adrenaline of speed and intensity or the thoroughness of a slower pace, what matters most is the intentionality behind that choice. How fast do you want to go through life, knowing we're all headed to the same final destination? Why rush or go slow if the pace doesn’t serve the ‘true’ you and sets the environment to do your life’s work?

Reflecting on Time, Technology, and Conscious Choices

As this draws to a close, I lovingly leave you with a few more questions to ponder:

When you “save time” where do you keep it??

Are your choices reflecting a true advancement for humanity or are they merely echoing a conveniently avoided history under new guises??

Are we contributing to a cycle of extraction, or are we paving the way for a more thoughtful, considerate, loving, and abundant existence??

These are the questions we must ask as we stand in the twisted complexity of time, technology, and the advancement of human consciousness.

Be well.

About the author:

Charles Newnam is changing the culture to a more love and meaning-filled one by transforming people, teams, and organizations. He is?a management consultant executive, the President? and co-founder of a veteran focused non-profit, VEL Institute, the President of Wisdom Council Experiences, a 501c3, and a former US Navy submarine officer. Charles holds a B.S. in Electrical Engineering, an MS equivalent in Nuclear Engineering,? a Master of Business Administration from UNC’s Kenan-Flagler Business School and a Master of Arts in Organizational Psychology from Teachers College, Columbia University. Charles enjoys exploring his own physical and mental limits through endurance sports. He continues to travel his own path while continuing a love filled life of service to others.