Words that echo, words that get stuck in your ear

During the Zoom men's Bible study in Ecclesiastes 3:13-14 and thereabouts there were a number of words that seems to stand out and reverberate with special emphasis in this framework of "wisdom books" and doom and gloom (on the face of the word-pictures on those pages). The idea of TIME comes up again and again. The Greeks of that period, presumably likewise to some extent in 2024, distinguished time is two senses: chronos (seconds, minutes, hours) and kairos (akin to English 'timing' or the proper moment for action or for inaction: release the arrow, shoot the shuttle across and through the loom). On a tangent of conversation the idea of 'right time' came up. That triggered thoughts of 'Righteousness' and 'in right relationship with God'. As a result of this emphasis on time and timing (timeliness, in sync, human time versus 'God's own time'), the notion of getting right with God and God's creatures suddenly took on the additional light of right TIME to engage with others and with other creatures, too. In other words, it is not enough to pray as a way to align with God's will and efforts to make things "on Earth as in heaven," but also the praying should include the desire to be on time, in time, timely, starting or stopping at the right time.

A recurring grapple with the two senses of KNOWing (e.g. Spanish distinction: saber =know facts, conocer =know places, people, things) also cropped up this morning. Knowing WHAT is much less important than knowing WHY. Or put another way, WHOM you know (relationship) is more significant than what you know. And when Ecclesiastes talks about "everything is meaningless." it is about the Chronos (time sweeps away castles and other proud projects), since "meaning" has the sense of "intention" or striving or purpose. To the extent that non-striving (echoes of Buddhism) and just being and being in relationship with God is the goal, then it is as Ecclesiastes puts it: there is no meaning, effort, future-oriented achievement. All that really matters is here and now; not living in the past, nor dreaming of futures. Fully occupying the present is the place to be (in living relationship with God and the many parts of God's world).

The catchphrase, wisdom of comedians and humorists also popped up in the morning conversation, "timing is everything." The same punch line can fall flat or can thrill audiences, depending on the timing when tension is broken or cognitive dissonance is resolved. Perhaps the five arenas located at advance language mastery can be understood not just as parallel tracks, but also as cross-connecting so that an insight of one arena can suggest something similar in the other. Religion, language arts (poetry, song, drama), emotion, persuasion (politics), and humor require great language fluency to express and to understand the reverberations and connotations. So when Ecclesiastes says that timing (kairos) is part of righteousness, there seems to be something similar to "timing is everything," as comedians say. Knowing when, how, and with whom to engage with also pertains to matters of great emotion, powerful persuasion, and soaring language art.

CURIOSITY: X P (Greek letters 'chi' and 'ro') abbreviate Chi Ristos (Christ); but this also seems rooted is 'Kairos' [chi + ro]. If this is not coincidence, then Christ is timely savior; present at right place and right time.