“What time is it?” I asked myself. I was seven days into my stay in the village of Wampan, and both my phone and watch had died. I had no way to check the time. But then a thought hit me: “Does it even matter?” It’s a tricky concept to wrap your head around when you’ve lived by the clock for 30 years, but here in the village, time is largely irrelevant. The locals don’t pay much attention to it.
When we arrived, we asked when church would start. Their answer was simple: “When you hear the music, you come.” We asked about meals, and they replied, “When we’re hungry, we eat bananas.” As for work or bedtime? They replied, “We do those things when we need to.” Their sleep schedule was a funny thing. On multiple occasions I walked to the outhouse at about 2 a.m. and found a group of men listening to music and talking or a child casually riding a bicycle.
At first, it felt bewildering, but then it started to make sense. Without businesses, corporate jobs, shops, or salaries, why plan things at specific times? They tend to their gardens when necessary, fish when they want food, and build or repair structures when the time comes. Nothing begins or ends by the clock.
Soon, I began to adapt, realizing it was a beautifully simple way of life—less stressful in many ways. I didn’t need my watch or phone. I could wake with the sun, eat when I felt hungry, and simply “Listen for the Music.”