What time is it?

“What time is it right now?”

For who? You? For most people in the world, that’s not the current time.

“What day is it today?”

For who? You? I’m in New Zealand, so it’s Saturday. For my friends in America, it’s Friday.

In Fiji, I went to the island of Taveuni. That’s where the international date line crosses. There’s a sign and a line on the ground. You can step back and forth across it. Left foot, Sunday. Right foot, Monday. It reminds you that dates are subjective. But your feet are in the sand, and that’s true.

“When does summer begin?”

For who? You? For half the planet, Christmas is summer and July is winter.

This is a silly but important reminder. People speak as if they’re stating facts. They say things like “You can’t do that” and “Here’s what women want”. But it’s just their current perspective. It’s their metaphorical time zone, which is probably different from yours.

They’re not wrong. It’s just not the only answer.