Kairos – The Ancient Greek Concept of Time and Opportunity
The Time is Now!
Chronos and Kairos
Many people, including the Greeks themselves, think the ancient Greek words for time “Chronos” and “Kairos“, have the same meaning, well, in a way, they do.
Invariably, when asking a Greek the English meaning of these two words, their answer will be “time” and yes, it is but nothing is ever straightforward is it?
There’s time and then there’s time!
Chronos
Measured Time
Time’s running out!
“Chronos” ( Χρόνος), means measured time, a quantity, measured in minutes, hours, days, weeks, months and years.
However, “Kairos” (καιρός) is quality time, the perfect moment.
Cronos or Kronos – King of the Titans
Cronus and his child – Giovanni Francesco Romanelli – National Museum in Warsaw – 17th-century depiction of Titan Cronus as Father Time wielding a scythe
Just to confuse you even further, there’s also “Cronus” or “Kronos”, the Titan god, ruler of the universe before the Olympians, who is depicted with a sickle, just like old father time, or the grim reaper.
“Chronos“, on the other hand, typically refers to the older primordial god, the personification of time.
Owing to their similarity their names are often confused.
Kairos
The Opportune Moment
‘Kairos’, means the perfect moment or timing, the opportune moment, the moment of truth, the defining moment, that fleeting moment that comes and goes in the blink of an eye, which must be seized and not let go.
Perfect Timing
‘Kairos’ is quality, not quantity, it’s getting the timing right; to know when the time has come, and that everything has its time.
In the New Testament, “kairos” means “the appointed time in the purpose of God “; an opportune time, a “moment” or a “season” such as “harvest time“.
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
“To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, a time to reap that which is planted;
A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;
A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
A time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.”
That Light Bulb Moment
“Kairos” is that “light bulb moment”, a moment of enlightenment or the turning point, the moment when Archimedes, the ancient Greek scholar sitting in his bathtub exclaimed “Eureka“.
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Archimedes and his Eureka Moment
Archimedes reportedly proclaimed “Eureka!” (I’ve found it) after he noted that water was displaced when his body sank into the bath and particularly that the volume of water displaced equaled the volume of his body immersed in the water.
How’s the Weather?
How’s the ‘Kairos’?(weather)
The modern word ‘Kairos’ is also used for the weather.
“How’s the kairos?” a Greek will ask, meaning right now, how is it, is it sunny or is it raining?
The Origins of Kairos
The word ‘Kairos” has its roots in both archery and weaving.
In archery, “kairos” indicates the moment when an arrow may be shot with sufficient force to penetrate a target and in weaving it means the moment in which the shuttle could be passed through threads on the loom.
Both are examples of the perfect timing of an action to achieve the best outcome.
The Myth of Caerus (Kairos)
Greek God of Time and Opportunity
Kairos (Time of Decision) – Fresco – Francescoi de Rossi – 1544 – Palazzo Vecchio – Florence – Francesco de Rossi Salviati
The story of Caerus or Kairos, the Greek God of time, opportunity, luck and favourable moments, (Roman equivalent Tempus or Occasio) goes far to help understand perfectly the meaning of the word “Kairos“.
Caerus, young and beautiful, is depicted standing on tiptoe, always running and with wings on his heels, (Like the God Hermes). He holds a pair of scales or a razor, balanced on a sharp edge, ready to run after and catch the opportunity before it gets away.
Caerus is the youngest son of the God Zeus who makes things happen at the right time.
He brings that fleeting instant, that is to be seized and made the most of, before it has chance to disappear.
Caerus with his one lock of hair
To make that fleeting instant easier to seize, Caerus has only one lock of hair which falls over his forehead.
This is convenient to grab hold of but you must be quick about it, don’t hesitate, once he passes, you have lost your chance, the back of his head is as bald as a billiard ball, there’s nothing to grab hold of at all!
“Tempus Fugit“- time flies, don’t let it pass you by!
