'The Moken Clock Has No Face'

          The Moken people are a nomadic tribe who have no word for 'When'. Completely disconnected from American culture, they would be confused by the phrase "A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away" or the Enterprises "5 year mission" (or "continuing mission" for you TNG fans). For the Mokens, time is not of the essence as it is they live in the moment (perhaps a bit like Dr. Who or Marty McFly).
          I am no expert on the quasi-temporal place we call "Now", as it is I have to look at my watch for a good 2 count before I can properly ascertain the time, but it would be kind of refreshing in my opinion to exist so purely in the present. I want to be like that. But I can't tell the Mokens that because they have no word for "Want". When I first read this fact my greedy little mind naturally thought, "How do they order a salad?" But they don't order one. They just make a salad.
         I am an American, which means I bathe in the extravagance of food thrown at me from a window sometimes or the comfort of some headphones blaring music I didn't make into my skull. But before you think I am preaching their gospel, allow me to clarify.
        While I respect their ways and imagine the Moken people to be in possession of a deep wisdom that is absent from my 21st Century Schizoid brain, I also am very aware of how lucky I am to live in a world that has Firefly and Batman comic books. It is thoroughly awesome to be spoiled. A part of me even slyly mourns that these fine folks may never know the glory of kicking back with a beer and watching Roy Batty's death scene in 'Blade Runner'(he has seen things you people wouldn't believe). Do you, my loving followers ever feel this way?
        What I am getting at, and I do have a point, is that the nerd, itself, is a creature that almost solely exists in industrialized nations. We have separate hobbies, interests and sometimes even thoughts that distinguish our lives from the rest of the world. As a nerd, I have occasionally wondered things like "How can 'so and so' hate Captain Kirk and Morrissey? Really? 'So and so' thinks Stallone and The Cure are lame but, feels Jackass and Nickelback are culturally significant?" Such judgemental thoughts, as many of us know, can lead nerds to worry. But, I dare not tell that to The Mokens.

(They don't have a word for "Worry")


written by Tony Santiago, all rights reserved