In George Simmel’s “The Metropolis and Mental Life,” he states, “…Because of the character of calculability which money has there has come into the relationships of the elements of life a precision and a degree of certainty in the definition of the equalities and inequalities and an unambiguousness in agreements and arrangements, just as externally this precision has been brought about through the general diffusion of pocket watches…” (328). This statement defines the whole reasoning as to why New Yorkers are the way they are. Simmel is stating that the capitalistic society that we live in, governed by money, has another major controlling factor: time.
Our lives are dictated by time and money. Since the realization that our parents cannot provide everything for the rest of our lives, we go on a journey to obtain an education, which would then leads to more education, and ultimately a career. However the main purpose of that career is for the obtainment of money. Our status in society is dictated by the amount of wealth that we have, and so we spent practically all our lives working towards obtaining money. However the almighty power of time restricts us. We never have enough for time for anything, and as New Yorkers we know that fact too well. We spend our mornings scrambling to our destinations and crowding throughout the city. We are constantly governed by time, and are always conscious of it. We have an exact schedule and have indicated times for everything, so much so that we initially judge one’s own character on the basis of punctuality. If one does not respect an indicated time, then we assume lack of responsibility, disorganization and ultimately a bad connotation is associated with that person. Finally we are slaves to the power of money and time, and are ordered around so precisely to maintain stability in our society.