{"version":"1.0.0","segments":[{"startTime":2.24,"endTime":4.32,"body":"Let me ask you a question."},{"startTime":4.64,"endTime":7.4,"body":"What time is it right now?"},{"startTime":7.92,"endTime":11.575,"body":"You might glance at your phone or your"},{"startTime":7.92,"endTime":11.575,"body":"watch and say something"},{"speaker":"like 9: 14 or 4","startTime":11.6,"endTime":15.935,"body":"37."},{"speaker":"like 9: 14 or 4","startTime":15.96,"endTime":19.88,"body":"But what if I told you that"},{"speaker":"like 9: 14 or 4","startTime":15.96,"endTime":19.88,"body":"that number isn't a fact?"},{"speaker":"like 9: 14 or 4","startTime":20.32,"endTime":22.04,"body":"It's actually a decision."},{"speaker":"like 9: 14 or 4","startTime":22.76,"endTime":27.4,"body":"Time, as we live it, is"},{"speaker":"like 9: 14 or 4","startTime":22.76,"endTime":27.4,"body":"not a natural constant."},{"speaker":"like 9: 14 or 4","startTime":27.96,"endTime":33.295,"body":"It's a social"},{"speaker":"like 9: 14 or 4","startTime":27.96,"endTime":33.295,"body":"agreement, it's a shared illusion that"},{"speaker":"like 9: 14 or 4","startTime":33.32,"endTime":35.84,"body":"helps us keep things running smoothly."},{"speaker":"like 9: 14 or 4","startTime":36.56,"endTime":42.12,"body":"We're so used to checking the clock that"},{"speaker":"like 9: 14 or 4","startTime":36.56,"endTime":42.12,"body":"we forget what we're really looking at."},{"speaker":"like 9: 14 or 4","startTime":42.44,"endTime":45.64,"body":"It's not a window into the universe."},{"speaker":"like 9: 14 or 4","startTime":46.12,"endTime":52.48,"body":"It's a system, a human-made system,"},{"speaker":"like 9: 14 or 4","startTime":46.12,"endTime":52.48,"body":"designed to keep the world organised."},{"speaker":"like 9: 14 or 4","startTime":53.08,"endTime":57.72,"body":"Welcome back to English"},{"speaker":"like 9: 14 or 4","startTime":53.08,"endTime":57.72,"body":"and Beyond: Intermediate English podcast."},{"speaker":"like 9: 14 or 4","startTime":57.96,"endTime":63.895,"body":"As always, that is a transcript and"},{"speaker":"like 9: 14 or 4","startTime":57.96,"endTime":63.895,"body":"free flashcards available at www."},{"speaker":"like 9: 14 or 4","startTime":63.92,"endTime":65.055,"body":"morethanalanguage."},{"speaker":"like 9: 14 or 4","startTime":65.08,"endTime":66.24,"body":"com."},{"speaker":"like 9: 14 or 4","startTime":66.48,"endTime":71.495,"body":"These are a great way to consolidate any"},{"speaker":"like 9: 14 or 4","startTime":66.48,"endTime":71.495,"body":"difficult vocabulary that you haven't"},{"speaker":"like 9: 14 or 4","startTime":71.52,"endTime":74.4,"body":"quite caught the first time"},{"speaker":"like 9: 14 or 4","startTime":71.52,"endTime":74.4,"body":"you listen to the episode."},{"speaker":"like 9: 14 or 4","startTime":75.6,"endTime":80.695,"body":"And in today's episode, we're exploring"},{"speaker":"like 9: 14 or 4","startTime":75.6,"endTime":80.695,"body":"one of the strangest truths of modern"},{"speaker":"life","startTime":80.72,"endTime":87.0,"body":"arguably, most of us don't"},{"speaker":"life","startTime":80.72,"endTime":87.0,"body":"really know what time it is."},{"speaker":"life","startTime":87.68,"endTime":93.16,"body":"Even though we rely on clocks for"},{"speaker":"life","startTime":87.68,"endTime":93.16,"body":"everything from waking up to catching"},{"speaker":"life","startTime":93.2,"endTime":97.2,"body":"flights, to showing up to"},{"speaker":"life","startTime":93.2,"endTime":97.2,"body":"a date or a job interview."},{"speaker":"life","startTime":97.6,"endTime":102.895,"body":"In fact, much of what we call time"},{"speaker":"life","startTime":97.6,"endTime":102.895,"body":"was only standardised in"},{"speaker":"life","startTime":102.92,"endTime":106.04,"body":"the past 150 years or so."},{"speaker":"life","startTime":106.52,"endTime":109.0,"body":"So first off, what is time?"},{"speaker":"life","startTime":109.68,"endTime":111.72,"body":"Well, let's begin at the beginning."},{"speaker":"life","startTime":112.12,"endTime":115.72,"body":"Time in the natural"},{"speaker":"life","startTime":112.12,"endTime":115.72,"body":"world absolutely exists."},{"speaker":"life","startTime":116.04,"endTime":122.16,"body":"The sun rises, it sets, seasons"},{"speaker":"life","startTime":116.04,"endTime":122.16,"body":"change, our bodies grow older."},{"speaker":"life","startTime":122.52,"endTime":125.16,"body":"The tides move in and they move out."},{"speaker":"life","startTime":125.4,"endTime":127.48,"body":"The moon pulls at the sea."},{"speaker":"life","startTime":127.96,"endTime":133.72,"body":"There are clearly rhythms in the"},{"speaker":"life","startTime":127.96,"endTime":133.72,"body":"universe, cycles that no one can ignore."},{"speaker":"life","startTime":134.12,"endTime":140.48,"body":"But the idea of measuring time in hours"},{"speaker":"life","startTime":134.12,"endTime":140.48,"body":"and minutes, that's not something natural."},{"speaker":"life","startTime":140.8,"endTime":141.56,"body":"That's us."},{"speaker":"life","startTime":142.24,"endTime":147.16,"body":"For most of human history, people"},{"speaker":"life","startTime":142.24,"endTime":147.16,"body":"told time by looking at the sky."},{"speaker":"life","startTime":147.64,"endTime":153.935,"body":"Noon was when the sun stood highest above"},{"speaker":"life","startTime":147.64,"endTime":153.935,"body":"your head, and that meant noon in one city"},{"speaker":"life","startTime":153.96,"endTime":158.64,"body":"could be 10 minutes different"},{"speaker":"life","startTime":153.96,"endTime":158.64,"body":"from noon in the next city over."},{"speaker":"life","startTime":159.08,"endTime":164.72,"body":"And that was perfectly fine for the vast"},{"speaker":"life","startTime":159.08,"endTime":164.72,"body":"majority of human civilization to date."},{"speaker":"life","startTime":165.2,"endTime":170.32,"body":"Until very recently, people couldn't call"},{"speaker":"life","startTime":165.2,"endTime":170.32,"body":"someone in another country,"},{"speaker":"life","startTime":170.72,"endTime":175.295,"body":"and they didn't need to turn up for a Zoom"},{"speaker":"life","startTime":170.72,"endTime":175.295,"body":"meeting at, let's say,"},{"speaker":"1","startTime":175.32,"endTime":177.2,"body":"00 PM on the dot."},{"speaker":"1","startTime":177.68,"endTime":179.4,"body":"Life moved with the light."},{"speaker":"1","startTime":180.0,"endTime":184.16,"body":"People worked when it was bright"},{"speaker":"1","startTime":180.0,"endTime":184.16,"body":"enough, and they rested when it wasn't."},{"speaker":"1","startTime":184.52,"endTime":189.335,"body":"The passage of time was something you"},{"speaker":"1","startTime":184.52,"endTime":189.335,"body":"felt, not something you measured"},{"speaker":"1","startTime":189.36,"endTime":191.2,"body":"in the way we do nowadays."},{"speaker":"1","startTime":191.88,"endTime":198.32,"body":"Ancient cultures divided the day into"},{"speaker":"1","startTime":191.88,"endTime":198.32,"body":"loose parts: midday, evening, night."},{"speaker":"1","startTime":198.76,"endTime":201.32,"body":"That was enough for many civilizations."},{"speaker":"1","startTime":202.04,"endTime":204.2,"body":"It wasn't about being precise."},{"speaker":"1","startTime":204.56,"endTime":207.16,"body":"It was about being in sync with nature."},{"speaker":"1","startTime":207.88,"endTime":213.0,"body":"That is, until trains came along, and"},{"speaker":"1","startTime":207.88,"endTime":213.0,"body":"suddenly, close enough"},{"speaker":"1","startTime":213.2,"endTime":215.32,"body":"wasn't close enough anymore."},{"speaker":"1","startTime":216.28,"endTime":222.2,"body":"The 19th century bought steam engines,"},{"speaker":"1","startTime":216.28,"endTime":222.2,"body":"schedules, and chaos at the beginning."},{"speaker":"1","startTime":222.6,"endTime":228.52,"body":"Trains could travel fast from one"},{"speaker":"1","startTime":222.6,"endTime":228.52,"body":"town to another in just a few hours."},{"speaker":"1","startTime":229.04,"endTime":235.4,"body":"But each town had its own version of time"},{"speaker":"1","startTime":229.04,"endTime":235.4,"body":"based on the local position of the sun."},{"speaker":"1","startTime":235.92,"endTime":237.16,"body":"So imagine this."},{"speaker":"1","startTime":237.56,"endTime":242.775,"body":"You buy a train ticket and it says your"},{"speaker":"1","startTime":237.56,"endTime":242.775,"body":"train departs at 3: 00pm"},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":242.8,"endTime":245.735,"body":"55pm."},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":245.76,"endTime":250.295,"body":"Of course, you're not going back in time,"},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":245.76,"endTime":250.295,"body":"but the clocks in the two different"},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":250.32,"endTime":252.68,"body":"towns are just out of sync."},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":253.32,"endTime":258.68,"body":"Confused passengers, missed connections"},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":253.32,"endTime":258.68,"body":"and logistical headaches were constant."},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":259.24,"endTime":262.84,"body":"British railway companies"},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":259.24,"endTime":262.84,"body":"decided enough was enough."},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":263.4,"endTime":268.535,"body":"In the 1840s, they created something"},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":263.4,"endTime":268.535,"body":"called railway time, based on the clock"},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":268.56,"endTime":271.04,"body":"at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich."},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":271.56,"endTime":278.135,"body":"Eventually, this became known as Greenwich"},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":271.56,"endTime":278.135,"body":"Meantime, GMT, and all train"},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":278.16,"endTime":279.64,"body":"timetables followed it."},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":280.16,"endTime":283.36,"body":"It was, as you can imagine, a revolution."},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":284.08,"endTime":289.96,"body":"Instead of local times for every major"},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":284.08,"endTime":289.96,"body":"town, there was one unified standard."},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":290.64,"endTime":295.6,"body":"Over the following decades, this idea"},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":290.64,"endTime":295.6,"body":"spread over countries and continents,"},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":296.0,"endTime":299.2,"body":"evolving into the time"},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":296.0,"endTime":299.2,"body":"zones we know today."},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":299.72,"endTime":301.64,"body":"But it didn't happen overnight."},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":302.08,"endTime":304.2,"body":"People, of course, resisted."},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":304.76,"endTime":308.28,"body":"Local communities refused"},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":304.76,"endTime":308.28,"body":"to change their clocks."},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":308.76,"endTime":315.04,"body":"Some churches kept ringing their bells at"},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":308.76,"endTime":315.04,"body":"the old times, and others set two clocks,"},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":315.32,"endTime":319.04,"body":"one for railway time"},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":315.32,"endTime":319.04,"body":"and one for God's time."},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":319.64,"endTime":324.0,"body":"Eventually, this standardised"},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":319.64,"endTime":324.0,"body":"railway time became the norm."},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":324.56,"endTime":329.0,"body":"By the end of the 19th century, most of"},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":324.56,"endTime":329.0,"body":"Europe and North America"},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":329.08,"endTime":331.2,"body":"had adopted time zones."},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":331.32,"endTime":336.52,"body":"The rest of the world followed slowly,"},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":331.32,"endTime":336.52,"body":"pulled in by global trade,"},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":336.72,"endTime":338.64,"body":"telegrams, and telephones."},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":339.48,"endTime":345.48,"body":"What began as a railway fix ended up"},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":339.48,"endTime":345.48,"body":"changing the very way we live our lives."},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":346.2,"endTime":352.055,"body":"But whole countries managing to compromise"},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":346.2,"endTime":352.055,"body":"on fixed time zones was only a partial"},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":352.08,"endTime":356.16,"body":"solution to the issues that"},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":352.08,"endTime":356.16,"body":"we had standardising time."},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":356.8,"endTime":361.08,"body":"There's also, for example, the strange and"},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":356.8,"endTime":361.08,"body":"controversial invention"},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":361.6,"endTime":363.32,"body":"of Daylight Saving Time."},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":363.96,"endTime":365.6,"body":"The idea was simple."},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":366.04,"endTime":370.575,"body":"In the summer, when the days are longer,"},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":366.04,"endTime":370.575,"body":"we move the clocks forward so people"},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":370.6,"endTime":372.56,"body":"get more daylight in the evening."},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":373.0,"endTime":377.56,"body":"It became popular during World"},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":373.0,"endTime":377.56,"body":"War I as a way to save energy."},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":377.96,"endTime":381.16,"body":"Fewer lights meant less electricity used."},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":381.72,"endTime":386.84,"body":"The same idea returned in World War II,"},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":381.72,"endTime":386.84,"body":"and this time it stuck around."},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":387.44,"endTime":389.24,"body":"But the evidence for its benefits?"},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":389.68,"endTime":391.775,"body":"Not that convincing, really."},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":391.8,"endTime":397.215,"body":"In fact, studies show that changing the"},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":391.8,"endTime":397.215,"body":"clocks disrupts sleep, increases car"},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":397.24,"endTime":401.56,"body":"accidents, and even causes a"},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":397.24,"endTime":401.56,"body":"small rise in heart attacks."},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":402.12,"endTime":404.28,"body":"Children struggle with the transition."},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":404.64,"endTime":409.08,"body":"So do older adults,"},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":404.64,"endTime":409.08,"body":"and many people just don't like it."},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":409.6,"endTime":415.52,"body":"And yet, twice a year, millions of us"},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":409.6,"endTime":415.52,"body":"adjust our clocks like some global ritual."},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":416.04,"endTime":420.76,"body":"We lose an hour, we gain an hour, we"},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":416.04,"endTime":420.76,"body":"complain, and we move on"},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":420.92,"endTime":422.64,"body":"because we have no other choice."},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":423.0,"endTime":425.44,"body":"Some countries have opted out."},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":425.56,"endTime":428.08,"body":"Japan, for example, doesn't do it."},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":428.36,"endTime":430.0,"body":"Iceland never did."},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":430.52,"endTime":435.535,"body":"The EU voted to end it and then quietly"},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":430.52,"endTime":435.535,"body":"delayed the implementation"},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":435.56,"endTime":436.64,"body":"of the decision."},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":437.36,"endTime":442.12,"body":"In the US, Congress debates it every"},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":437.36,"endTime":442.12,"body":"few years, but nothing changes."},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":442.64,"endTime":443.08,"body":"Why?"},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":443.68,"endTime":448.84,"body":"Well, maybe because once tradition"},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":443.68,"endTime":448.84,"body":"becomes normal, it's hard to kill."},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":449.36,"endTime":454.12,"body":"But every time you lose sleep in March or"},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":449.36,"endTime":454.12,"body":"you feel confused in October,"},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":454.6,"endTime":459.36,"body":"remember, this wasn't handed down by"},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":454.6,"endTime":459.36,"body":"nature, but it's instead"},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":459.84,"endTime":462.0,"body":"a man-made social construct."},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":463.16,"endTime":467.56,"body":"All of this brings us to a deeper tension,"},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":463.16,"endTime":467.56,"body":"the difference between"},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":467.6,"endTime":469.76,"body":"clock time and body time."},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":470.4,"endTime":472.12,"body":"Have you ever had jet lag?"},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":472.68,"endTime":476.935,"body":"You land in a new place, your phone says"},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":472.68,"endTime":476.935,"body":"it's morning, but your"},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":476.96,"endTime":479.0,"body":"brain says, Absolutely not."},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":479.52,"endTime":485.48,"body":"That's because your internal clock, your"},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":479.52,"endTime":485.48,"body":"circadian rhythm, isn't ruled by a number."},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":485.84,"endTime":490.56,"body":"It's ruled by daylight and how your"},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":485.84,"endTime":490.56,"body":"body has gotten used to that pattern."},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":491.16,"endTime":495.72,"body":"Your body knows when it's morning"},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":491.16,"endTime":495.72,"body":"based on the sun, not your alarm."},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":496.12,"endTime":499.4,"body":"And yet we constantly"},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":496.12,"endTime":499.4,"body":"override that rhythm."},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":499.96,"endTime":505.015,"body":"We stay up late, we stare at blue-lit"},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":499.96,"endTime":505.015,"body":"screens, we wake up early to"},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":505.04,"endTime":507.08,"body":"catch the bus or log in to work."},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":507.6,"endTime":509.4,"body":"But our bodies aren't machines."},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":510.0,"endTime":513.68,"body":"They can't just adjust instantly"},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":510.0,"endTime":513.68,"body":"because we want them to."},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":514.52,"endTime":517.64,"body":"And it turns out our"},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":514.52,"endTime":517.64,"body":"bodies are still ancient."},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":518.28,"endTime":521.455,"body":"They haven't caught up to artificial"},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":518.28,"endTime":521.455,"body":"light, 9: 00 to 5: 00"},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":521.48,"endTime":523.76,"body":"schedules or global Zoom calls."},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":524.24,"endTime":525.84,"body":"Perhaps they never will."},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":526.6,"endTime":530.68,"body":"Of course, time isn't just"},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":526.6,"endTime":530.68,"body":"scientific, it's also cultural."},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":531.48,"endTime":537.735,"body":"Ask someone in Spain when dinner starts,"},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":531.48,"endTime":537.735,"body":"and they might say never before 9: 30."},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":537.76,"endTime":541.44,"body":"Tell someone in Germany that they have to"},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":537.76,"endTime":541.44,"body":"wait until after that time to eat,"},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":541.72,"endTime":543.52,"body":"and they may look quite horrified."},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":544.16,"endTime":548.48,"body":"Then there are concepts like island time"},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":544.16,"endTime":548.48,"body":"or mañana syndrome,"},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":548.96,"endTime":552.76,"body":"phrases that might sound dismissive,"},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":548.96,"endTime":552.76,"body":"but they point to something real."},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":553.16,"endTime":558.6,"body":"Not every culture sees punctuality,"},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":553.16,"endTime":558.6,"body":"sees timekeeping in the same way."},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":559.24,"endTime":561.88,"body":"In many parts of the"},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":559.24,"endTime":561.88,"body":"world, time is flexible."},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":562.32,"endTime":566.655,"body":"Being late isn't rude, it's normal, or"},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":562.32,"endTime":566.655,"body":"even a sign that people"},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":566.68,"endTime":568.4,"body":"matter more than the schedule."},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":569.16,"endTime":573.92,"body":"In Japan, on the other hand, a train"},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":569.16,"endTime":573.92,"body":"leaving 30 seconds early is a scandal."},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":574.4,"endTime":577.36,"body":"And in Switzerland, clocks"},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":574.4,"endTime":577.36,"body":"are almost a religion."},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":577.84,"endTime":582.495,"body":"But you only have to spend a few weeks in"},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":577.84,"endTime":582.495,"body":"Southern Europe to realise that many"},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":582.52,"endTime":588.24,"body":"people in the world view this addiction"},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":582.52,"endTime":588.24,"body":"to punctuality as unnecessarily stressful."},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":588.84,"endTime":593.975,"body":"I think that in Britain, we live in"},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":588.84,"endTime":593.975,"body":"between, obsessed with being on time so as"},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":594.0,"endTime":599.24,"body":"not to be rude, but also somehow"},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":594.0,"endTime":599.24,"body":"very fond of being fashionably late."},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":600.16,"endTime":602.76,"body":"So what time is it really?"},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":603.48,"endTime":606.08,"body":"Well, that depends on who you ask."},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":606.4,"endTime":609.84,"body":"Is it solar time, tied to"},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":606.4,"endTime":609.84,"body":"the movement of the sun?"},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":610.28,"endTime":614.28,"body":"Is it body time, shaped by"},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":610.28,"endTime":614.28,"body":"your brain and sleep cycle?"},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":615.0,"endTime":618.8,"body":"Or is it GMT, created"},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":615.0,"endTime":618.8,"body":"for ships and railways?"},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":619.48,"endTime":624.28,"body":"Or just your phone's best guess, based"},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":619.48,"endTime":624.28,"body":"on whatever satellite it's talking to?"},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":625.12,"endTime":628.56,"body":"Clocks give us order, but"},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":625.12,"endTime":628.56,"body":"they don't give us truth."},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":629.04,"endTime":631.6,"body":"They're systems, they're"},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":629.04,"endTime":631.6,"body":"very clever systems."},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":631.72,"endTime":635.935,"body":"When you're rushing from one thing to the"},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":631.72,"endTime":635.935,"body":"next or feeling like the day is slipping"},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":635.96,"endTime":638.64,"body":"through your fingers,"},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":635.96,"endTime":638.64,"body":"it might help to remember."},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":639.16,"endTime":644.135,"body":"The modern idea of time, the ticking, the"},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":639.16,"endTime":644.135,"body":"scheduling, the slicing of the"},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":644.16,"endTime":646.76,"body":"day into units is an invention."},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":647.24,"endTime":649.8,"body":"Useful, of course, but artificial."},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":650.4,"endTime":655.28,"body":"There is no law of physics that says"},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":650.4,"endTime":655.28,"body":"lunch must happen at exactly 1: 00 PM."},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":655.44,"endTime":660.76,"body":"There's no universal truth that says a"},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":655.44,"endTime":660.76,"body":"9: 00 to 5: 00 is a natural way to work."},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":661.12,"endTime":663.455,"body":"These are agreements we have made."},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":663.48,"endTime":664.88,"body":"They are not absolutes."},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":665.2,"endTime":668.48,"body":"Sometimes, those agreements"},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":665.2,"endTime":668.48,"body":"feel more like demands."},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":668.68,"endTime":674.455,"body":"So maybe, just occasionally, it's worth"},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":668.68,"endTime":674.455,"body":"stepping back, not to romanticise the"},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":674.48,"endTime":680.8,"body":"past, not to abandon structure, but just"},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":674.48,"endTime":680.8,"body":"to notice how much of time is a choice."},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":681.16,"endTime":685.535,"body":"Wherever you are in your day, whatever"},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":681.16,"endTime":685.535,"body":"time it is, I hope you're"},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":685.56,"endTime":686.64,"body":"having a good time."},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":686.8,"endTime":689.2,"body":"Thanks for listening,"},{"speaker":"and arrives at 2","startTime":686.8,"endTime":689.2,"body":"and see you next time."}]}