A new year? Or is there a better way to think of time?

 

"Dost thou love life? Then do not squander time, for that’s the stuff life is made of.”

-- Ben Franklin

Chronos vs kairos

We're obsessed with measuring time. It's how we make sense of the past, plan the future, and organize daily life. Unfortunately, more often than not, we tend to measure time in terms of quantity rather than quality. Is there any other way? Yes. And to help us understand it, let's turn to the Greek language.

There are two Greek words for time. One of them is 'chronos', which is clock or calendar time. You could say it is the measurement of time in terms of quantity and numbers. The other word is 'kairos' - the measurement of time in terms of quality and depth, not length. In the New Testament, kairos was used for time in the sense of opportunity - an unmeasurable period or season for action, not specified by numbers.

Of course, 'time' in English can convey both meanings, depending on the context. You don't need to know Greek to recognize that we all measure time in both ways. We're all aware that time can be spent well or poorly. This is perhaps what the poet William Blake had in mind when he wrote, 

"Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand
And Eternity in an hour."

The difference between a full life and an empty one comes down to how we use our time (however short) rather than longevity.

Kairos vs New Year resolutions

Despite this awareness and shared experience of time, we're prone to defaulting to measuring time by chronos. From the time slots in Google Calendar to the number of years of experience required for a job application, we think in terms of length rather than depth. 

We carry this mentality from our work lives into private life, also. And we see and experience that annually at every New Year with the countless resolutions that are invariably doomed to fail. 

We wait for a particular point in time to act rather than watching out for the kairos - the time to seize opportunities - in our lives. We may waste months anticipating a time in the calendar for decisive moments, unaware that the kairos may have already slipped by.

Resolutions require being awake to opportunity. Chances may present themselves at any point. Waiting for the completion of constructed units of time for decisive action can so easily amount to squandering opportunities rather than seizing the moment.

Recognizing the time to act

Chronos - counting time - involves looking backward and forward, much like we do every New Year. Kairos - making time count - is to recognize the significance of the present moment, to notice opportunities, and to take them. And that is surely a better way to think of time than counting the years of our lives on a calendar.