"The most regretful people are those who feel the call to creative work, who feel their own creative power restive and uprising, and give to it neither power nor time," Oliver writes. She encourages readers to cultivate a sense of attention, to slow down and observe the world around them, and to allow themselves the time and space to create.
Because "Of Power and Time" offers a cure for the anxiety of achievement. In our current hustle culture, we are told to optimize every second. We treat time as a currency to be spent on power (promotions, followers, real estate). Oliver argues the opposite: Power is the thief, and time is the liberator. Of Power And Time Mary Oliver Pdf
Contrast this with the world of the creative mind, which is governed by . This is not the tick-tock time of the office, but "timeless time." It is the state of flow where the artist forgets to eat, forgets the hour, and enters a trance-like state of creation. In this world, the utilitarian values of Power hold no sway. "The most regretful people are those who feel