The First Rule of Kairos: Don't Talk About Kairos

Think about how many times in the past week you were told to seek an opportunity.  Maybe you were told to attend the Career Fair, to audition for a dance team, or to just talk to someone new.  No one hesitates to tell you that these opportunities may only come around every so often and therefore we must grab them while we can.

However, we often forget that this idea of seeking opportunities while they are available is a crucial part of rhetoric. Perhaps the reason we forget about kairos, the idea of seizing rhetorical opportunity, is because it is an instinctive part of how we write and speak.  We grow up learning when to ask for things and when it is best to hold our tongue without being explicitly being told to do so.  

Although kairos is applied arguably more advantageously in formal rhetoric than everyday speech, it is still an instinct. Say an event occurs that sparks controversy.  It is simply natural to discuss this point further, as it is currently relevant in not only the mind of the author or speaker, but the minds of the audience as well.  Although this is an implementation of kairos, we did not necessarily go looking for the opportunity.  No one had to tell us to seize the moment because it was instinctive.  

Something important happened.  Let's talk about it.  Natural kairos, those opportunities in rhetoric that occur by situation rather than creation go almost unnoticed because there is no need to think about it. 

Why then, do we feel deceived by a kairos that arises from our own creation?  We are told so often to seize opportunities outside of rhetoric, but when it comes to our writing or speaking, it feels deceptive to recognize an opportunity and use it advantageously to prove a point.  When Donald Trump brings up his political ideas out of nowhere, it shows that he has his own agenda versus that of a politician discussing policy regarding a current event that is fresh in the minds of the people.  Perhaps the reason this feels deceptive is the mechanical feel it conveys, rather than the natural instinct that comes with seizing an already given opportunity.  To avoid coming off as deceptive, no one tells us to go seek an opportunity to say what we want to say.  Instead it is more common to hold our ideas until there is a kairotic moment in which it is simply instinctive to make the argument. 

A LATTE Cinema: Passion Blog Deliberation

I have been toying with many different ideas for my passion blog, all of which revolve around things that genuinely make my day brighter.  Narrowing down this list I got stuck trying to commit to one topic, so I'll just describe the two topics I am currently flirting with.

The first idea is a movie blog, but with a twist on a typical movie critic blog.  People enjoy movies for a variety of reasons, whether that be a genuinely well crafted plot line, comedic one-liners that keep your attention the entire duration of the film, or just the general togetherness watching a movie with other people can bring.  I love movies for all of these reasons, and they keep me watching the same movies over and over.  I am a firm believer that watching something over again does not get boring because you discover quotes or details that you may not have caught the first time.  My blog would exhibit movies I deem worthy of being watched more than once, and how my movie experience changed after seeing it again.  This could be through a quote I was waiting to hear, or a detail I picked up after researching the film.  While I believe that we should constantly be seeking out new cinematic experiences, I think there is something to be said for a movie that gets better every time you watch it.

The second idea I had for my blog is regarding a passion shared by people any and everywhere you go: coffee.  If you are not a coffee drinker you may not understand how one could write ten weeks worth of information about a beverage.  However those of you who go to bed excited about the cup of coffee you will wake up to in the morning should understand.  My blog would delve into the love that coffee drinkers across campus, and across the world (because let's face it, where can't you find a Starbucks) have for this simple yet perfect drink.  Why is it that you look like you know what you're doing when you are carrying a cup of coffee? Which cafe downtown has the best atmosphere? And of course the all important Starbucks vs. Dunkin Donuts debate.  I would merely write anecdotes about why so many of us around the world are always up for (and in need of) a warm cup of joe.

These two ideas revolve around my favorite things, making choosing difficult.  It is like asking a mother to choose her favorite child.  How could she pick?  She can't.  She (me) needs an outside opinion to do the dirty work for her.