February 12, 2018
Schaper (Sabbath Keeping), senior minister at Judson Memorial Church in New York City, examines the “time famine” she sees inflicting society and provides ideas for readers to reclaim more time for themselves in this practical but poorly organized guide. Schaper begins by laying out her case for why individuals feel they don’t have enough time: “The first reason for our great sense of insufficiency is we know but don’t know that we are going to die. We abnormalize death when it is actually a fairly normal, natural, inevitable occurrence.” By understanding that “trying to justify our existence through activity” will never lead to fulfillment, people can learn to “feast on the here and now rather than condemning it for being too small, too cramped, too insufficient.” To do that, Schaper recommends simple practices such as breaking large tasks into smaller, more reasonable steps; speaking about anxieties aloud to relieve the stress of internalization; learning new “mantras” for centering oneself in stressful situations; and practicing meditation. She also offers vague but heartfelt (and often pat) suggestions, such as, “Forgive yourself for internalizing capitalism,” and “Listening can be much more important than speaking. Receiving can be as important as giving.” A lack of structure will leave many readers wishing for a clearer explanation of her sound advice.