Praise Of Slowness

There is no doubt that we live in a world in which the focus is almost unceasingly on the need for speed. With the advent of new technologies which allow us to do even more in even less time, individuals today seemingly prioritize productivity and accomplishment over all else. However, the implications of this relatively new normal that we see today, a normal which places an emphasis on all that is fast-paced and industrious, ought to raise a few questions in the minds of us all. Is the mentality that one needs to maximize speed in order to succeed truly a terrible or outrageous mindset to possess? Should the focus on efficiency of results demand the widespread support that it receives in the twenty-first century? Could the act of slowing down
Prompting the reader to take into account who wound up winning the race between the tortoise and the hare, Honoré emphasized the notion that speed does not always garner the results that one may desire. In many facets of life, this may truly be the case. Hypothetically, consider parents who devote so much time to the professional world that they miss the important milestones of their children’s lives. Rather than play catch with their sons in the backyard on a sunny day, the parents make business calls from dawn until dusk. Rather than attend the dance recitals of their daughters, the parents work overtime to accomplish an (arguably meaningless) assignment. This idea is the very foundation upon which the classic Harry Chapin song, “Cats in the Cradle” was built. As Chapin so eloquently illuminated through his lyrics and as Honoré aimed to explain in his text, some people become so enraptured with the prospect of maximum achievement in minimal time that they neglect to truly live. When analyzing one’s life with this lens, the degree to which one may be essentially wasting precious seconds, minutes, and hours of life becomes frighteningly apparent. How often do we see men and women walking down the street with their noses in their smartphones? How normal is the sight of an individual with an anxious, impatient look on their face as they wait in line for coffee? So focused are we on the need to do something, to do anything, at any given point in time that we fail to see the beauty of all that life encompasses. The great philosopher Seneca wisely noted in his text On the Shortness of Life, “It is not that we have so little time but that we lose so much….The life we receive is not short but we make it so; we are not ill provided but use what we have wastefully.” It is quite chilling to think that this poignant reflection, put onto paper nearly two thousand years, is still