Talks: Carol Honoré Praises Slowness
When you are eating supper, completing an assignment, or walking to school, do you ever hear the clock ticking in the back of your mind? According to Honoré, our society operates under a road-runner culture in which every aspect of our daily lives is based on the fast-lane. How fast can we get this task done? What can I do to speed this process up? Living in fast forward has become a part of our daily lives as we race the clock.
Time is often viewed as a finite resource, and therefore many people rush to accomplish as much as possible in the little time they believe they have. However, people who take the time to slow down and savour life, rather than rushing through it, are often more satisfied with their daily accomplishments. When a person takes the time to slow down, they can break free from this culture and complete tasks more effectively. It has been observed that people who have fewer work hours are often more productive and creative because they then have the time to unwind from work and get in touch with their creative juices. Relationships with people in their lives are also improved and more enjoyment is received from simple acts such as preparing and eating a meal. Hence, less can mean more and each individual should take the time to slow down and enjoy life.
University students are often caught up in the fast pace of campus life, rushing to and from classes, meeting friends for a quick bite to eat, then rushing off to catch the bus or go to work. There are many things that demand time and attention, and often leave the student feeling pressured or stressed because they feel they have little time to spend with friends and family. However, taking the time to set aside work and allow for simple pleasures such as catching a hockey game or baking a batch of cookies is often all the mind needs to unwind and recuperate from constantly being forced to race the clock.
Community involvement, such as participating in a recreational sport, can provide a necessary distraction for students and business people alike. However, even these activities can be rushed, so conscious effort must be taken to slow down and savour the moments when adrenaline isn’t pumping and the mind is clear of all the stresses of daily life. Relationships with the people around you are often the most affected by the fast pace of life. No one feels they have the time to get to know people, and therefore wake-up calls are often necessary to remind people to take the time to slow their pace and gain more from life then they would receive by rushing through it.
Connections to families, friends, nature, food, and even life are neglected when people spend all their time rushing from one moment to the next. Part of the slow movement is taking time to analyze your life and identify which parts are valued the most. Once identified, a person can then take the time to reconnect to those parts. Losing sight of what is important in life, such as people and food, is not difficult, and thus many people do not realize their importance. Nature is often completely forgotten as people shield themselves in a “bubble”, often through the use of technological advances such as iPods , that prevent people from experiencing the true benefits of nature such as listening to birds chirp and squirrels chatter.
Honoré C. Talks: Carl Honoré praises slowness. TED [Online]. Avail from: http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/carl_honore_praises_slowness.html
[2005 Jul]
Related Link...
Slow Movement. The slow movement: making a connection. [Online]. Avail from: http://www.slowmovement.com/ [2009]
