Slow is an attitude and a philosophy.
The word slow
has received with the development
of the industrial age a negative connotation.
We do not like
to see ourselves as being slow. Do
we?
Time is money, time is wasted, time flies, time is gone, time is managed, mostly not managed or even unmanageable. When I am slow I do not use the given time in an efficient way which will lead to unsuccessfulness.
Human beings introduced time measurement
and the clock
as the only specy on Earth to measure intervals of time shorter than the natural
units (day, month, year)
to gain control over it, to reduce insecurity.
So wait a minute! The primary purpose of a clock is to display the time. Human beings have been
able to measure time since ancient times. How many
steps forward have we gone
in order to control time and in order
to reduce insecurity? At the same time,
we became addicted to speed, we do more
things, produce more stuff in a given
time than ever before. Has life
become better? Have we become
happier?
It is excellent to do things! The
question to consider is what and how
much of it should we do? Are
you doing the
right thing? Are you sure?
Isn’t it easier to be busy and rush all day, so we do not have to think about our problems and difficulties.
To do things slower, to slow down or even stop
for a moment or two to think has serious advantages.
„Go slower, get further!”
The story of the Tortoise and the
Hare is an evident association.
Tortoise belong to an ancient
group of reptiles, appearing about 250 million years ago while eg. the
Cheetah, the fastest running animal on the planet evolved
only 5.5 million years ago. Animals are fast
or slow, based on their life and hunting
strategies, but the more energy
they need to use for speed,
the less time
they can keep it. Like people. We
have our own unique natural
speed levels that keep us going and healthy.
Knowing the right speed, keeping
our energy at a
sustainable level will get us further.
Focusing on one thing at a time will increase our effectiveness and ability to concentrate on the right thing.
Slow is an attitude of being aware of ourself,
our environment, the advantages of doing things at the
right speed, either slow or
fast. It is a mindset focusing on meaning. Aiming to do things well
but not overdoing, valuing imperfection, looking for peace
of mind.
“Stillness is not about focusing on nothingness;
it’s about creating a clearing. It’s opening
up an emotionally clutter-free space,
and allowing ourselves
to feel and think and dream
and question.”
“If we stop long enough to create
a quiet emotional clearing, the truth
of our lives will invariably catch up with us. We convince ourselves that if we
stay busy enough
and keep moving,
reality will not be able to keep up. So
we stay in front
of the truth about how tired and
scared and confused
and overwhelmed we sometimes feel.
Of course, the irony is that the
thing that is wearing us down is trying to stay out in front of feeling worn
down. This is the self-perpetuating quality
of anxiety. It feeds on itself. I often say that when
they start having
Twelve Step meetings for
busy-acholics, they will need to rent out football
stadiums.”
Brené Brown
Around 50 % of the Earth’s population is living in urban areas, distracted from nature. Caught by the industrial age, as modern humans we are addicted to speed and our brain.
The slow movement,
starting with the slow food movement
in the 1980s addresses the disadvantages of craving for speed,
it acts as a counterweight to
the fast paced,
commodity focused, unbalanced and impersonal
nature of much of modern human culture.
The slow movement is a term describing a wide range of efforts happening worldwide to find ways of connecting to ourselves in a more satisfying, fulfilling way and finding unique ways to live a slower life.
Between a slow and fast way of life, there is a large variety and
possibility for uniqueness and individuality. When we slow
down and unplug, read a book, sit in a park,
watch the stars,
collect stones at the river side,
play with a child we experience a deeper
connection to ourselves or to those who
we are with or to what we do.
We can focus more, do a better
job at work, we are more patient,
more mindful, we can enjoy the
moment. If we
slow down to think what we should be doing, we will probably
choose to do the more fulfilling
thing, than if we rush to do
more or more
perfectly.
9 slow values worth considering!
1. Focus on quality over quantity.
- Quantity is superficial.
Quality is deepness and worth.
- „You don't need more activity, you
have to dig deeper instead” Seth Godin
- Slow focuses on doing things well, doing less, but the right thing to get to a higher level of satisfaction and fulfillment.
2. A slow attitude involves making an effort to balance life, that is work – family – friends and
the body, mind
and soul.
3. Healthy food and the taste of food
Quality and local, seasonal food
is becoming more important, because people realise that nutrition and conditions
of taking a meal are important for
their health. A good taste at the
same time involves
a lot of local produce because quality
raw food can only be produced locally
without long delivery times and out of season
chemical handling.
4. Developing quality friendships
and relationships
If we meet one friend at a time instead of many,
we can lead a much deeper conversation,
than chatting with a whole gathering. One quality friendship is worth more than a hundred superficial relationships.
5. Focus on keeping instead
of throwing away
By focusing on keeping we can get more attached to using a specific article, we can keep a better inventory, we think about solutions that fit our needs more and are more lasting.
6. Connect to the rhythms of nature
Time slows down if we stop to notice our environment. Going out for a walk
and listening to nature, being aware
of the place and season makes
us feel we have more connection
to ourselves and the place. Human
being is a part of nature. Time and
our life will not rush by if we
focus on understanding its rhythms. Keeping our human being and our human
doing side in balance leads to a more satisfied life.
7. Letting go of perfection
Perfect does not exist. Running after perfection is a never ending chase of the
unachievable, unreachable enoughness and self-esteem.
8. Enjoy the moment
„Happily, once people
start practicing to be aware of the moment
they are in, most quickly get over the
idea that it
is „selfish" and „narcissistic” to take time for
themselves as they see the difference that
making some time to just be has on the quality of their lives and their self-esteem, as well as on their relationships.”
Jon Kabat-Zinn
9. Conscious consumption
As more people
become aware of our broken ecosystem, there is a slow cultural shift towards a more aware consumption.
The fair trade movement, social entrepreneurs and brands are making an effort for sustainability, waste reduction and organic production. There is a growing collective interest to pay attention to "conscious consumption”.
The paradox is that spending more
time on doing less and being
less brings slowly more meaning
in life, more peace and less
anxiety. Slow is a serious
matter.
