What Newborns Can Teach Us

Newborns teach us to live beyond the clock and find meaning in life’s tasks.

For most of human history, people lived by tasks, not by the clock. The day started with the sunrise and ended with sunset. People moved from one task to the next as needed. There was no rush to squeeze everything into a schedule. Work simply happened naturally. Life was about responding to what came, not measuring hours.

Today, our world is time-oriented. Clocks, deadlines, and calendars rule our days. Tasks are cut into minutes and hours. Instead of moving with life’s rhythm, we often feel stuck or pressured by it.

But we all start out differently. Babies are fully task-oriented. They sleep when tired, eat when hungry, and cry when they need something. They live in the moment. As parents, we’re pulled into this timeless rhythm. At first, it feels overwhelming because it breaks the predictable order of routines. But it also reminds us that life can happen moment by moment, outside of schedules.

This pull back into a task-oriented world, with its unpredictable routine, makes me think about bigger questions. I don’t enjoy changing diapers or the frustration of sleepless nights—no parent does. But those moments have shown me something more important than feeling good right then. They’ve shown me meaning and deeper purpose.

Seen this way, newborns don’t just draw us into a task-oriented rhythm. They remind us of the difference between happiness and meaning. Life isn’t always about comfort or efficiency. Sometimes it’s about being part of the endless flow of tasks that matter, even when they’re hard, and finding meaning in them. Babies show us this truth: they are both the task and the gift, reshaping how we see time and what really matters.