Time Defines Personal Roles

On a personal level, the passage of time delineates societal roles. As a child, we are young, dependent, immature, and innocent. Two dozen revolutions around the sun later, we are expected to be responsible, sensible, and independent. Several dozen more, and we should be wise, learned, and feeble. Time, therefore, is a significant factors determining in how we live and behave. In addition, it is a function of power. Power relations, discussed in The History of Sexuality, are the basis of Foucault's analysis of society. Time is often equated with experience: the longer somebody performs a task, the better he is should be, essentially gaining power through time. Similarly, continued existence denotes authority. For these reasons, experience is important when applying for a job or position, and seniority at many corporations is a central issue.