If you're ever interested in exploring the concepts of kairos vs. chronos time, this piece is from the perspective of the Christian tradition - where kairos is the "deepest and truest form of time." https://mereorthodoxy.com/kairos-chronos
As you point out, technology is a big part of this time trap. You could replace looking at a clock with looking at your phone, constantly trapped by how others are using their time (should I be doing something else, because others on Instagram are?).
Re: climate. There's an interesting point here about how we view time is both restrictive but necessary? I wonder if climate communications can be effective without the urgency (and, therefore, anxiety) of the ticking clock, which is really encompassed in the 2018 IPCC report aka the "12 years to save the planet" report.
it almost feels like an act of rebellion to not center every moment around accomplishment and productivity! I was thinking about this recently when considering my goals what I'm working towards, and so many of them are based on how I FEEL rather than what metrics I hit in any one area of my life (although obviously we need to accomplish tangible things to get by and thrive in this world lol) but just spending time FEELING good, calm, inspired, etc., is what we're all tryna get at, right? Whether we read that extra chapter, slam a podcast in, etc. I don't think we're designed to scrutinize our time like this! no wonder the days fly by when we're literally always feeling like there's a deficit of time.
thought provoking as always - appreciate you and your words!!!
Ooh. This makes me think about 19th century clocks that only had a shorthand -- no breaking down the hours with a longer arm. Noon was noon until it was 1P. That's such a radically different way of conceiving time (even though it too is divorced from the hours the sun in up). The nit pickiness of being three or four or seventeen minutes late disappears. There's more flexibility without the microbreakdowns of each day.
That said, my MacBook Pro is sick and isn't updating its date/time as any proper digital device should, and I accidentally parked on the wrong side of the street because I thought it wasn't a street sweeping day. Thank goodness I looked at ANOTHER device to see that I was indeed wrong and managed to avoid a $75 ticket. Avoid the ticking at your own peril, right?? XO!
P.S. I ascribe to the belief that if in fact the world as we know it is going to end, then finding and creating communities where we can fully be ourselves and fully express God’s love for us through us and create more resilience, joy, reciprocity in spirit, regeneration, and personal wellness amidst our rhythms in our community, really tend and nurture one another amidst our flows together as we tend and nurture the land that cares for us. Well, perhaps enough people will be inspired to follow along and no longer rely on systems of dominance and control and the world will be all the better for it and no matter what it will be all worth the while to make life a more enriching experience while we’re blessed to be here and our souls will have time to truly learn and deepen and be fulfilled. Mhm. Yes plz. Come. Come and be. Come and be here. 🥰
Ooof. I’ve been a rather consistently “late” person for much of my life since I’ve been the one calling the time shots. My dad was in the military and timeliness was and is always important to him. In my adult years, I’ve been navigating the shame layers in me around lateness. And I fully comprehend honoring others time in cultures that prioritize time. I’ve also learned in my anthropological studies that a number of cultures around the world are far more flexible with time than we are (US person here) and I always loved the idea of that more free flow “meet around noon” with an hour or so of way flexibility because of the relaxed and social nature of some parts of our world. Anywho, I’ve gotten a bit better with time navigation and being attentive to it. I really don’t like to be and would I believe thrive in the paradigm of existence that predates the invention of our modern clock systems. We are not machines here to be ever more productive. We are modern apes who have many more needs that have been largely forced and coerced into systems of power and ways of perceiving reality that are largely unquestioned these days. And it’s odd because I’m entrepreneurial so one would imagine time is so important to me and it is and yet the free flow time to meander through my day and flow into whatever feels alive in me however often I may allow it is what makes this life worth living for me. Often! I too just like you regularly check the clock and keep certain time commitments and make time centered agreements and find myself upholding this same power structure and attempting to impose it on others when we are speaking of coming together. It’s like time is more flexible if someone is coming over or if I’m coming over and we have opened up a considerable chunk of “time” for one another. Then it becomes more flexible. Certain people are more open and create more spaciousness in their day so our connections can be moved in time ever so gently whenever that need arises. With some people I find myself more easily able to slow down and truly savor moments together more than with others. I appreciate these people so very deeply. Even just not as I type this, I notice the limited “time” left for me to engage anything other than preparing to walk from the door if I want to make it on time for a funeral for a person I love. I’ve been the person who has missed various things over the years because time. And I still discover that my favorite places an spaces and Persons and activities are those where I have more time freedom and more time flexibility and don’t feel the need to fret or worry about precision in arrival or beginning or ending of whatever it is. To luxuriate in the wonder of it all. And yes it’s becoming a time of year when there is much more to be done and mm winter was so wonderfully slow and wonderfully spacious and truly va favorite part of year for me personally for that reason. And spring is full of joy and growth and the natural emergence and a great time for that. My prayer is that we can all tap a little more deeply into the natural rhythms and learn to hear their stories and wisdoms amidst our navigations of the cultural paradigm of time that many of us ascribe to these days. It’s worth the journey. Deeply appreciating your pontifications, kindred spirit. ✌️
If you're ever interested in exploring the concepts of kairos vs. chronos time, this piece is from the perspective of the Christian tradition - where kairos is the "deepest and truest form of time." https://mereorthodoxy.com/kairos-chronos
As you point out, technology is a big part of this time trap. You could replace looking at a clock with looking at your phone, constantly trapped by how others are using their time (should I be doing something else, because others on Instagram are?).
Re: climate. There's an interesting point here about how we view time is both restrictive but necessary? I wonder if climate communications can be effective without the urgency (and, therefore, anxiety) of the ticking clock, which is really encompassed in the 2018 IPCC report aka the "12 years to save the planet" report.
it almost feels like an act of rebellion to not center every moment around accomplishment and productivity! I was thinking about this recently when considering my goals what I'm working towards, and so many of them are based on how I FEEL rather than what metrics I hit in any one area of my life (although obviously we need to accomplish tangible things to get by and thrive in this world lol) but just spending time FEELING good, calm, inspired, etc., is what we're all tryna get at, right? Whether we read that extra chapter, slam a podcast in, etc. I don't think we're designed to scrutinize our time like this! no wonder the days fly by when we're literally always feeling like there's a deficit of time.
thought provoking as always - appreciate you and your words!!!
Ooh. This makes me think about 19th century clocks that only had a shorthand -- no breaking down the hours with a longer arm. Noon was noon until it was 1P. That's such a radically different way of conceiving time (even though it too is divorced from the hours the sun in up). The nit pickiness of being three or four or seventeen minutes late disappears. There's more flexibility without the microbreakdowns of each day.
That said, my MacBook Pro is sick and isn't updating its date/time as any proper digital device should, and I accidentally parked on the wrong side of the street because I thought it wasn't a street sweeping day. Thank goodness I looked at ANOTHER device to see that I was indeed wrong and managed to avoid a $75 ticket. Avoid the ticking at your own peril, right?? XO!
P.S. I ascribe to the belief that if in fact the world as we know it is going to end, then finding and creating communities where we can fully be ourselves and fully express God’s love for us through us and create more resilience, joy, reciprocity in spirit, regeneration, and personal wellness amidst our rhythms in our community, really tend and nurture one another amidst our flows together as we tend and nurture the land that cares for us. Well, perhaps enough people will be inspired to follow along and no longer rely on systems of dominance and control and the world will be all the better for it and no matter what it will be all worth the while to make life a more enriching experience while we’re blessed to be here and our souls will have time to truly learn and deepen and be fulfilled. Mhm. Yes plz. Come. Come and be. Come and be here. 🥰
Ooof. I’ve been a rather consistently “late” person for much of my life since I’ve been the one calling the time shots. My dad was in the military and timeliness was and is always important to him. In my adult years, I’ve been navigating the shame layers in me around lateness. And I fully comprehend honoring others time in cultures that prioritize time. I’ve also learned in my anthropological studies that a number of cultures around the world are far more flexible with time than we are (US person here) and I always loved the idea of that more free flow “meet around noon” with an hour or so of way flexibility because of the relaxed and social nature of some parts of our world. Anywho, I’ve gotten a bit better with time navigation and being attentive to it. I really don’t like to be and would I believe thrive in the paradigm of existence that predates the invention of our modern clock systems. We are not machines here to be ever more productive. We are modern apes who have many more needs that have been largely forced and coerced into systems of power and ways of perceiving reality that are largely unquestioned these days. And it’s odd because I’m entrepreneurial so one would imagine time is so important to me and it is and yet the free flow time to meander through my day and flow into whatever feels alive in me however often I may allow it is what makes this life worth living for me. Often! I too just like you regularly check the clock and keep certain time commitments and make time centered agreements and find myself upholding this same power structure and attempting to impose it on others when we are speaking of coming together. It’s like time is more flexible if someone is coming over or if I’m coming over and we have opened up a considerable chunk of “time” for one another. Then it becomes more flexible. Certain people are more open and create more spaciousness in their day so our connections can be moved in time ever so gently whenever that need arises. With some people I find myself more easily able to slow down and truly savor moments together more than with others. I appreciate these people so very deeply. Even just not as I type this, I notice the limited “time” left for me to engage anything other than preparing to walk from the door if I want to make it on time for a funeral for a person I love. I’ve been the person who has missed various things over the years because time. And I still discover that my favorite places an spaces and Persons and activities are those where I have more time freedom and more time flexibility and don’t feel the need to fret or worry about precision in arrival or beginning or ending of whatever it is. To luxuriate in the wonder of it all. And yes it’s becoming a time of year when there is much more to be done and mm winter was so wonderfully slow and wonderfully spacious and truly va favorite part of year for me personally for that reason. And spring is full of joy and growth and the natural emergence and a great time for that. My prayer is that we can all tap a little more deeply into the natural rhythms and learn to hear their stories and wisdoms amidst our navigations of the cultural paradigm of time that many of us ascribe to these days. It’s worth the journey. Deeply appreciating your pontifications, kindred spirit. ✌️