The lost art of slowing down

IAM often told that we live in the millennial generation. Where the then and now have been replaced by a life of instant’s. Where social media is mainstream and tradition is being pushed to the sidelines. Where fake news can easily be turned into fact once uploaded in the black hole that is the internet.

I have an 11-year-old boy who submits his homework through email and who takes down notes using his computer. We have keyless cars. You can order online or get a taxi booking through a phone app. No more faxed messages. Just scan and email. No need to call long distance, thanks to viber, what’s app, etc. I should be happy, right? This is progress.

But there is a certain downside to these fast and often furious times. People have lost the habit of waiting, of taking things slow. We are so afraid to fall behind in this life’s rat race that we need to be on high-speed mode almost all the time. We are so anxious that we will be beaten, not because we are not good enough, but because we weren’t running as fast.

Sadly, more and more people spend their mornings checking what’s the latest on their smart phones even before they’ve had a good breakfast or a cup of coffee. Meals and meaningful conversations are forgotten because we are too busy taking the perfect Instagram food shot or emailing, reviewing work, incessantly texting. Name it, we have drowned ourselves using the smallest of gadgets, our smart phones.

But taking your time is sometimes a good thing. From drinking freshly ground coffee beans instead of opening a pack of 3-in-1 instant coffee, to enjoying a nice slow-cooked meal instead of ordering what’s on the take-out menu. There is a joy to waking up and not looking at your phone for a good hour. Or spending time with your kids whose eyes aren’t glued to their tablets. It’s funny how often parents complain about kids who just stay stuck to their computers everywhere they go. But adults seem to be setting a pretty bad example themselves. How many of us text, email, or chat while having dinner? How many communicate through chat instead of making a one-minute call? Guilty, as charged. But even I admit to living in a gadget-dependent, instantly gratifying environment.

They say that You Only Live Once, YOLO. Do it faster if you want to achieve more. Grab any and every opportunity that comes your way. Embrace today as if there was no tomorrow. And the list goes on. We live in a time when today is tomorrow, when faster and sooner is better. But how can you live to the fullest when you can’t even savor the little moments that ought to make it worthwhile?

Probably the best analogy is when you’re driving in the countryside or doing road trips. When you drive at 200 km/h, you will arrive at your destination much faster, but the journey will probably be a blur. There’s nothing to see, nothing to enjoy, no journey to speak of. Just a ride that got you somewhere fast.

So, going slow may not always be a bad thing. It allows us to take a step back and enjoy life’s little gifts.