Josef Pieper, from “Leisure: The Basis of Culture” on Time:
Horizontal time refers to our ordinary, linear experience of time as a sequence of moments flowing from past to future:
- Measurable, quantifiable time.
- Associated with work, productivity, and utility
- Characterized by constant movement and busy-ness
- The realm of the “useful” and “practical”
Vertical time represents moments when we break out of the linear flow to encounter deeper dimensions of existence:
- Qualitative rather than quantitative time
- Associated with leisure, contemplation, and celebration
- Characterized by receptivity and openness
- The realm of meaning, beauty, and transcendence
See: Self-anthropology
Greg McKeown, from Essentialism on kairos(vertical time) and chronos (horiontal time):
Nonessentialists tend to be so preoccupied with past successes and failures, as well as future challenges and opportunities, that they miss the present moment. They become distracted. Unfocused. They aren’t really there.
The way of the Essentialist is to tune into the present. To experience life in kairos, not just chronos. To focus on the things that are truly important-not yesterday or tomorrow, but right now.
See: Essentialism