Introduction to the temproal collage

‘Quaker busyness’ and the perception of time
Clock time, which is sequential and chronological, was introduced in the West to order and control a society increasingly organised around the capitalist world of industrial work. It displaced an older polychronic view of time, where everything took place in an extended ‘now’. This clock-driven, linear or monochronic time-line is divided into time dedicated to productive work, maintenance activities and leisure pursuits. Individuals often have little choice as to how and when these activities take place, and this exacerbates the feeling that there is a chronic shortage of time. Hence, an awareness has arisen of the need for human beings to now and again experience ‘the flow’ – a state that occurs outside clock time, when the individual is totally immersed in an activity and ‘what [they] feel, wish and think are in harmony’ (Csikszentmihalyi 1997). Quakers appear to instinctively recognise this need. Despite the fact that their ‘holy busyness’ is set in the context of a society that is relentlessly driven forward by the clock, they also attempt to live in a harmonious ‘God’s time’. ‘A spiritual thread is woven throughout … daily life for most Friends’. Their lives are not divided into activity and a ‘privatised spirituality’, but spirituality is a fundamental part of their daily activities.

Quaker polychronicity
As Quakers make little distinction between the secular, spiritual or religious, the author proposes that Quaker time has its own ‘polychronicity’, which reflects the interpenetration of time and spirituality. Her research suggests that, although Quakers describe their daily lives in terms of clock time, their perception of time involves other dimensions. The overarching theme of spirituality therefore contains clock time, ‘Quaker time’ (time for Quaker activities), time dedicated to relationships and ‘faith in action’ (activities in the wider society), and the interconnection of all these components. The way the pattern of this model changes over the course of an individual’s life often depends on the nature of their outside work: whether it is fluid and autonomous or task-driven and externally organised. Therefore, although polychronic time is ‘woven into the fabric of everyday [Quaker] life’, ‘the size and texture of each component is different’.

Quaker service: bonding social capital
One of Quakerism’s most distinctive features is that all members are enjoined to contribute to Quaker work, a duty described by Quaker Faith and Practice (1995) as a ‘commitment to the well- being of one’s spiritual home’. Thus the work Quakers do for the Society is regarded as ‘service’ given in ‘Quaker time’ (see Chapter Three), and is an integral part of the polychronicity of Friends’ lives. It includes both formal work they are nominated to do and informal work for the Society. Quakerism initially developed its distinctive structure comprising a complex layering of meetings and activities – what the founder, George Fox, called ‘the gospel order’ – as a way of bonding a diverse collection of individuals into a coherent religious organisation. Informal participation in the activities of the Society helps nurture these bonds, encouraging members to care for one another both spiritually and materially, as well as creating opportunities for sharing and passing on Quaker values. As Friends participate in shared service, they form multiple social networks, which act as conduits of bonding social capital.

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