The value of time

In the West (well, definitely the US and the UK at least), we are constantly told that "time is money" and we really do believe it. And we believe that this means time is valuable and that we are aware of its value.

I wonder if perhaps the opposite isn't true. Here in Cameroon, time is definitely not money. Time is free. It's the one thing everyone has plenty of. I'm not sure if it necessarily follows, but I notice that my Cameroonian colleagues experience much less stress and they celebrate significant life events (weddings, funerals, births) with much more vigor.

Here are a few lyrics from one of my favorite songs ("Life Means So Much" by Chris Rice) which I think illustrates this perspective:

Everyday is a bank account
And time is our currency
So no one’s rich, nobody’s poor
We get twenty-four hours each
So how are you gonna spend?
Will you invest or squander?
Try to get ahead?
Or help someone who’s under?

Teach us to count the days
Teach us to make the days count
Lead us in better ways
Somehow our souls forgot
Life means so much