Sunday 10 August 2008

GREEK TIME

Well, it's that time of the year again and we are off to the Greek island of Kalymnos in the Dodecanese.

This means that, for a few weeks - whilst blogging will most certainly continue - the posting of your comments may at times be a bit erratic! If so, this will be due to a phenomenon (known to anyone who's ever visited Greece) as GREEK TIME!

As it happens, the Greeks have two words for TIME...

CHRONOS and KAIROS

Chronos is quantity of time: chronological or sequential time, time in progress - hence our everyday words chronicle, chronology and chronic.

Kairos is quality of time: significant rather than dimensional time, the fleeting moment of now; impossible to measure other than in terms of its significance or specialness - a time, you might say, between times...

Chronos will undoubtedly march relentlessly on over the next few weeks, but I hope that Kairos will provide a few memorable moments...


You can read about Kalymnos - and, in particular, the village of Emporios where we stay - in my website essay Heaven on Earth!

Image: David Weeks © 2007

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Emborios is a wonderful place, but haven't been there for a few years. Hope to go back.

Anonymous said...

Have a great time both of you.

Arts and Crafts said...

Then, I hope you (both) have a long Chronos and a nice Kairos...

SharonM said...

Hope that you and David have a wonderful, relaxing and reviving holiday. Do let us know if you bump into Meryl Streep, Julie Walters or Pierce Brosnan.

Brian Sibley said...

DAVID & SUZANNE - Thanks for your good wishes; and

EUDORA - for your timely greetings; but as for the message from

LISAH - Mamma Mia! Is that likely?

Unknown said...

Have a fantastic, relaxing holiday both of you.

Missing you already! ;-)

Ian

Bela said...

Hope you have a lovely time! :-)

Anonymous said...

An alternative scenario is that the only two times which count in Kalymnos are light o'clock and dark o'clock. All actual times quoted to you by Greeks can be seen as, at best, a very rough guide. It is either light or it is dark, everything else is merely relative.