This is ironic, remarked the gentleman, who was being given a send-off party by his office colleagues on his day of retirement. He was looking at the parting gift — a shiny, chunky wrist watch. “I don’t see myself keeping time in my post-retirement years.”
“A watch is necessary for the working man, to reach office at a certain time, breaking for lunch at a fixed time, leave for home at a stated time and so on. But putting my feet up and not watching the clock, is what I most look forward to.” I concurred with his sentiments; he was a much older colleague and even to me, then in my thirties, his view of time seemed logical. I too smiled, and nodded my head in assent.
Once invited to high tea to a Swiss home, I was intrigued that every room, bathroom included, had a wall clock. Laughing at my quizzical expression, my host said, “Here in Switzerland, we are very conscious of keeping time. We expect to keep appointments a few minutes before the stated time.” Switzerland is renowned for its watch-making industry as well, and its people are sticklers for punctuality.
Time-keeping is necessary, especially when we have deadlines to honor and time-bound projects to complete. So too, to ensure regularity in our daily activities like waking, eating, working, and sleeping. Yet, one cannot help admit that often, we become slaves of the clock, and miss opportunities to break free of regiments to smell the roses, ruminate, slip into sakshi bhaav (witness mode) or simply, just be. We are bewitched into thinking that time is all for doing, not for being. “Let us remember that we are called human beings, not human doings.”
Nature of time depends on the context and task at hand. My great-grandparents lived in step with nature’s rhythm — as do most species. Sunrise was wake-up time, sunset signaled end of day — the circadian rhythm. Once we learned to make our own little suns — powerful oil lamps and electricity — we flouted natural rhythms. Suddenly, there was more time to read, chat, perform, make music, argue, fight, and of course, work, too. Just as moderation is good in eating and exercising, it is also good in terms of the time we spend awake and asleep, surfing the internet and/or engaging with OTT platforms, playing video games and so on.
Then there are those who take delight in following rigid timetables unswervingly determined and disciplined, marking time with the hands of the clock. Good, good. But there are also those of us who let saunter, nay, even stand still, as we “stare as long as sheep or cows.” And see, “in broad daylight, streams full of stars, like skies at night…” Lazy? Oh no, just different, letting time do its things as we do ours, guilt-free.
What is the spiritual view of time? This popped up in the search engine, among other pearls of wisdom: –
“Chronos is quantity, while Kairos is quality. Chronos is our way of organizing and attempting to control time, while Kairos is God’s time.”
