Kronos and Kairos

Kronos and Kairos

"To miscalculate kronos is inconvenient, to miscalculate kairos is lamentable.."

Wondering who's the artist behind this master piece? It's me! Yes, I did make that piece of art! Beautiful, isn't it? ;-) 

Since I was small there's nothing fascinate me more than colors. Maybe that's also the reason I love nature, because it always graciously presents us with different splendid set and range of colors. I loved playing with them too on a piece of paper or combining different things with different colors to make collage or any piece of creation depending on the coming inspiration, imagination or just mood. Sadly though, my knowledge about color was so limited, I only knew a strict range of it as was taught in school - red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, purple, black, white, brown.. I believe my eyes had seen each and every color, only that I didn't recognize them simply because I didn't know they were exist! 

And so, when my color-span was expanded, I couldn't help but fell deep in awe. As I came to know there are cyan, violet, amber, crimson, fuchsia.. my heart twinkled. Sometimes my prejudiced mind forced me to approach these new friends with suspicion. My curiosity mind helped me to cherish them nonetheless. 

Now that I knew so many colors, my world looked much more beautiful. As a child wanting to enjoy whatever pleases him here and right now, me too longing to enjoy every color here at the present, forgiving the past and not worry about the future.. To have such a feeling is a treasure, and I dared my self to hold it in my hands. Unfortunately, my bubble of colors exploded when I was embracing it. It was a shocking experience, and my twinkled heart left burned. In sadness, I wonder maybe I should have just adored those colors from afar? 

Hence the title of the art, "Kronos and Kairos". Both kronos and kairos are Greek words for time. The first describes linear time, which is measured by year, month, week, day, hour, minute, second.. Usually we schedule our everyday lives around this time. In the mundanity of kronos however, there is this now moment, the perfect time, called kairos. Kairos is characterised with freedom, as it allows us to experience a place in time that is full of meaning, a place where we explore new boundaries with child wonder. Kairos is also associated with flow, as in kairos we can be absorbed in an activity that the focus of awareness is narrowed down only to that activity. It is a critical time where we are called forth to make decision.  But it is also a time of opportunity, a brief opening which must be driven through with force in order to gain, that also require us to seize the moment and participate in the crafting of now. 

Looking at the art, I am sure you can guess that the rainbow in the background resembles kronos. It is the chronological events in life. It is colorful as each stage in life has its own color and brings its own beauty. All along kronos, kairos is waiting, ready to be embraced. The important question is, do we want to embrace it? 

I wonder maybe I should have just adored those colors from afar? No, I am glad that I have been brave enough to open my arms wide and embrace the present.

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*I created "Kronos and Kairos" a year ago during a wonderful workshop in May as part of my training. At that time I was facing one critical now in life, but unexpectedly at the same time I also rediscovered my passion for art. I can still remember how I was so immersed in the process, and how good the feeling was :)