How To Find Peace in Our Fast Paced World

The Rush of Humanity

It often occurs to me that, in the middle of all our energy-saving, time-saving technology and breakthroughs, in some ways, we’re no better off. Of course, life is easier on a practical level but I wonder if easier necessarily equates to better? And I wonder if easier necessarily equates to happier?

Is it possible that, on a level, easier brings with it some potential developmental disadvantages?

Perhaps, in our quest to create an easy, painless and convenient existence, we’re actually depriving ourselves (and our kids) of some valuable – but less convenient and less comfortable – experiences and lessons?

Addicted to Speed

Like it or not, for better or worse, our world is a faster place. For some reason, our society has an obsession with speed. We like fast food, fast cars, fast-drying nail polish and the fastest internet connection possible. The other day, I read about an unofficial competition between car makers to see who can build a convertible with the fastest roof (up-down, down-up time).

For some people, that number matters.

Nope, we don’t like to wait. We don’t like to be delayed. We don’t like to waste time. If things can’t be done quickly, then we’re wasting time. Or so we tell ourselves. You only need to consider the ever-expanding pool of abbreviations and acronyms. We love them because they’re faster and require less effort than real words: LOL. OMG. LMAO. Time-saving communication; crucial for survival in the rat race.

RMC.

I’m currently trying to figure out how I can write an entire post without using real (whole) words.
This is what an entire post might look like in a few years:

DSOFTYADASOAKFDOCMOSSOTCUAQSDKSOS…. the end.

Or not. (O.N.)

In many ways, we’ve become addicted to speed and if certain things aren’t fast enough, we allow it to affect us mentally and emotionally. We give away our power. We allow the situation to manage us. We get frustrated, anxious and angry. Occasionally, violent. Yes, it’s come to that.

How unnecessary.

For some reason, we’ve bought into the lie that faster is always better. Sometimes it is, but not always. Personally, I’m a big fan of some regular slow. I think slow should have a place in our lives. Not always and not everywhere but sometimes and some places. Sometimes, the cost of all our time-saving speed and efficiency is that we miss out on some of life’s gems. The simple. The beautiful. The unplanned. The spontaneous.

The-not-necessarily-fast.

I love being able to step out of the busy-ness of my day-to-day commitments and into the slow-ness of just being. Feeling. Listening. It keeps me sane. Healthy. Grounded. Calm. It gives me perspective and space from the mayhem. For me, slow is the place where I can turn off my brain and listen to my heart for a while.

For me, it’s where much of the joy of life lives.