Kelley Swain, a PhD candidate at the University of Tasmania working on poetry and motherhood, invites readers to reconsider how they perceive time. In a culture that often fears aging and treats time as a commodity, she suggests embracing the ancient Greek concept of Kairos—intuitive, opportune time—over the relentless Chronos time that dominates modern life.
The Texture of Time
Swain describes her morning surroundings: compost-grown cherry tomatoes ripening on a windowsill and a fuchsia glow over a peak in a cornflower blue mist. She reflects on how time has become a commodity in English-speaking, colonial-influenced countries, where people unconsciously adhere to Chronos time, the chronological, linear progression that often feels overwhelming.
She introduces Kairos, a concept from ancient Greek rhetoric that signifies the right moment or opportune time. For Swain, Kairos represents intuitive time—the flow of writing poetry or the instinctual care for her child in everyday moments. She suspects Kairos also applies to skilled acts like archery, where timing is crucial.
Kairos in Rhetoric and Care
In rhetoric, Kairos is about knowing when to speak, be silent, or use specific persuasive devices. This echoes the Bible verse: "There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens," which reflects the seasonal, cyclical nature of Kairos. Swain connects this to care work, noting that midwifery is often described as "Kairos care in a Chronos world." She argues that any care environment attempting to fit into chronological demands creates tension, as the two worlds don't align.
She encourages readers to notice when they operate from Kairos time, creating a "magical spell of quiet subversion" against Chronos. Examples include following the moon or solstices—natural cycles that predate modern clocks.
Cultural Resistance to Chronos
Swain critiques mainstream culture's obsession with anti-aging propaganda and billionaires trying to live forever. She suggests that society has been gripped by Chronos, marching toward a cliff of time. A society of "unwise, un-eldered youngsters" is vulnerable to fearing time as a linear thief rather than a spiral. Those aligned with Kairos—in care, nurturing, or seasonal gardening—resist this unthinking march.
She poses reflective questions: "Where do you move in Kairos time? Where does your intuition bloom? Where do you obey or resist Chronos?"
Indigenous Perspectives on Time
Swain concludes with a concept from Tyson Yunkaporta, an Indigenous author from the Apalech Clan in Far North Queensland. Yunkaporta notes that there is no word for "non-linear" in his languages because traveling, thinking, or talking in a straight line is never considered. The winding path is the natural way, and one man who tried going straight many thousands of years ago was called "wamba" (crazy) and thrown into the sky. This perspective challenges Western linear notions of time, reinforcing the value of intuitive, cyclical time.
Kelley Swain works in medical and health humanities, and her PhD project explores poetry and motherhood.
