Can we go back in time?
What is time?
What does time mean to different people?
Is time really money?
I would want to answer all those questions, if only I had the time. (Pun Intended) According to the article, these local Piraha tribesmen have absolutely no measurement of time and even numbers. For them, life is always spontaneous and this or that. In fact, even after a linguist tried to teach the Portuguese counting till 10, none could repeat them after a coaching of almost 8 months. Furthermore, the Piraha tribes people give their children names based on the traits they feel their offspring shares with an elder of the tribe. Shockingly, these people even manage to forget their grandparents names, because what matters to them is only the present and "here and now'.
Personally, I have a completely opposite view from the tribes people because in my Indian culture, numbers are a pretty big deal. This is because, firstly we invented the numbers (that's right) and secondly, we are a society which live in a very rushed society. The rushed society is similar to the Piraha's, however in Indian society, the rush means we have lots of things to do, thus we need to allocate time. Allocating time means numbers, and organizing meeting at certain times and etc. However, Time personally to me is the most precious asset in the whole world. This is because it is one of the only things on Earth that can't be bought. Time gives us a purpose and a meaning on this earth, and when measured and used correctly, helps organize our lives.
Your own perception of time and the described tribe's perception is nicely explained. You even found similarities, which is interesting because on the first look it didn't seem familiar or similar to you in any way. nice thinking.
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