 ne day I caught myself eyeing a collection of One-Minute Bedtime Stories – think Snow White boiled down to 60 seconds and that’s when the alarm bells started ringing.
Thankfully, I never bought the one-minute fables. Instead, I began investigating the possibility of slowing down in a world addicted to speed. What I discovered was good news: more and more people across the globe were finding ways to put on the brakes – living richer, more productive lives as a result.
The need for less speed
Let’s face it: we need a ‘slow’ revolution now more than ever. The world is stuck in fast forward. We work fast, talk fast, think fast, eat fast and play fast. We even make love in a hurry. A British men’s magazine recently ran the following headline: “Bring Her to Orgasm in 30 Seconds!”
In 1909, a restless band of European intellectuals published the Futurist Manifesto, which affirmed “that the world’s magnificence has been enriched by a new beauty: the beauty of speed. A racing automobile with its bonnet adorned with great tubes like serpents with explosive breath…a roaring motor car which seems to run on machine-gun fire, is more beautiful than the Winged Victory of Samothrace.”
Today, those words seem so 20th century. Doing everything in a hurry is clearly nuts. Our health, relationships and diet suffer. We make mistakes at work. We struggle to relax, to enjoy the moment, even to get a decent night’s sleep. We get 90 minutes less shut-eye a night than a century ago, and stress-related illnesses are soaring.
The credit crunch was a stark reminder that an economy based on fast growth, fast consumption, and fast profits is not sustainable. On the contrary, it burns out the planet and everyone on it. Anyone who still doubts this should try attending a speed yoga class or a drive-thru
funeral. Or take at a look at the mess the oil spill made in the Gulf of Mexico.
‘Slow’ growth
Around the world, 120 official Slow Cities are now putting quality of life ahead of sprawl. Millions of people are taking a slower approach to food, and eating better as a result. Look at the rise of farmers’ markets and cooking classes, or the renaissance of artisan bread, cheese and beer. The Italian-based Slow Food movement stands for everything fast food doesn’t, and now has 100,000 members in
132 countries, including Canada.
Millions more are tuning their bodies and minds with slower exercise (yoga, tai chi and SuperSlow weightlifting) and slower forms of medicine (Reiki, acupuncture and herbalism).
There is a growing movement to let children slow down, too. After all, kids need unstructured time to recharge, to learn how to socialize and think creatively. Cities across North America are holding official slow-down days when all homework and extracurricular activities are cancelled to give children time to relax, play, hang out – to be children. From Toronto to Tokyo, schools are boosting exam results by cutting back the homework load year round. A Harvard dean wrote an open letter to students extolling the virtues of doing less and relaxing more. Its title: “Slow Down.” |
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Less is best
In much of Europe, falling working hours have created a quality of life that vacation-starved North Americans only dream about. How does six weeks a year of holiday sound? Even in workaholic Japan the government is urging companies to give staff more time off. Membership in the Sloth Club, which runs a laidback café in Tokyo, is surging.
Working less can mean working more efficiently, too. Often derided as lazy vacation junkies, the French are among the world’s most productive workers per hour. Norway, Finland, Denmark and Sweden all work relatively short hours yet their economies are highly competitive.
In North America, some companies are goosing productivity by encouraging staff to spend less time on the job. Others are imposing speed limits on the information superhighway with email-free days and cell phone blackouts. A senior executive at IBM has launched a ‘Slow Email Movement’ to encourage us to check our inboxes less. That’s IBM, not an aromatherapy co-operative.
Putting on the breaks
In the same vein, many companies are encouraging staff to take breaks during the workday. Research shows that relaxation helps the brain slip into a richer, more nuanced mode of thinking. This is why our best ideas seldom come in the middle of a fast-paced meeting or in the final dash to meet a deadline; they come when we chill out – sun-tanning on the beach, soaking in the bath or slowly eating a sandwich in the park. Psychologists even call this ‘slow thinking.’
Of course, you can take this deceleration thing too far. Slower is not always better. Going fast can be fun, liberating and productive. The ‘slow’ philosophy means doing everything at the right speed – fast or slow or whatever pace works best. In other words, you don’t have to ditch your career, toss the iPhone and join a commune to slow down. It’s about using time more wisely.
The tortoise wins!
Getting in touch with my inner tortoise has certainly worked for me. I still enjoy life in fast-paced London, but am no longer a round-the-clock roadrunner. I am more relaxed, dynamic and creative. I feel closer to my friends and family and more able to enjoy each moment. I’m living my life now instead of rushing through it.
And Snow White is certainly a lot more fun with seven dwarves. H&L
 Canadian journalist Carl Honoré became known as the father of ‘Slow’ with his first book In Praise of Slow. His latest book Under Pressure explores the good, the bad and ugly of child-rearing today. Carlhonore.com
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