Image caption: Attendees actively engaging the speakers during Q&A

By Kang Ying Ting and Ng Wan Sim.

“How I wish I have 48 hours per day”. This is something that one can usually hear from students as their assignments piles up, and the to-do list keeps getting longer and longer. Prior to the onset of Covid-19, time seemed to pass by in the blink of an eye. However, with the onset of Covid-19, activities have been forced to transition from the physical to online mode. As a student, this means that classes have to be held online. The sudden decrease in time spent with our friends has definitely caused a change in our perspective of time, as we start to miss the daily social interactions with our friends. A day during the Covid-19 crisis feels so long, as though time has stretched itself out.

With the perception of time being warped, the debate arises as to whether time is a gift. What happens to those who come from abusive families or are encountering family problems? How are they coping in the midst of the lockdown in many countries? These were some issues raised during the first Critical Conversation of NUS Arts Festival 2021: A Question of Time.

In other situations, time can be thought of as a gift, when a plan is cancelled and one is able to do other things, and when it is used wisely to learn new skills and foster relationships/ friendships. Ultimately, time is an abstract concept and its meaning is subjective to each individual.

These are just some of our thoughts and reflections from the session. What would your opinion of time be?

Critical Conversations: A Measure of Time in a COVID World was streamed live on 24 February 2021 and is available on YouTube here.