Slow, Slower, Stop

“I like walking because it is slow, and I suspect that the mind, like the feet, works at about three miles an hour. If this is so, then modern life is moving faster than the speed of thought or thoughtfulness.” 

― Rebecca Solnit

I have three speed settings: slow, slower, and stop. I don't like to be rushed or pressured while doing things. In a speedy world, this leisurely pace is not popular. My faster friends gave me the nickname, "Sloth Man". 

I approved - I like sloths. They are slow, methodical, and patient. Sloths are also solitary animals, and spend most of their time in the trees. They sleep 10 hours a day, are vegetarian, and appear to always be smiling.

I must admit that the resemblance is uncanny. But considering the facts, who wouldn't take the moniker to be a complement? I did.

So it is, when out on my bike, that I find myself passing through the landscape far, far too fast. On every ride I take the time to stop, set my bike down, and leisurely stroll and explore on foot. 

While on foot a person can choose to walk, stroll, saunter or wander. You can actually notice things, and start to blend in with your surroundings, instead of passing through like a streaking blur while missing all the good stuff.

“Downshifting is a fast growing movement of people who choose voluntary simplicity in all aspects of their life. 

Downshifters go beyond  materialism – beyond the fast life. They downshift to a slow connected life.”

- slowmovement.com

If you ride a bike very slowly you will fall over; a certain amount of speed is required, and even that pace is often - you guessed it - too fast for me.

Needless to say, driving these days feels like blasting through time and space at Warp 9 on the Starship Enterprise. Blasting down to the grocery store and back in our van every couple of weeks is enough driving for me.

So it is that I live my life slowly, and slowlier. And the slowliest speed of all, of course, is stop, another of my favourite paces. When one stops, one can see a lot, think a lot, experience a lot.

Imagine if the whole world would just move more slowly, or even stop every once is a while. See more, fewer accidents, less fuel burned, fewer frayed nerves. 

If fast food is bad (it is), then slow food is the answer. 

Maybe the slow way is also the answer to many of our modern challenges. The worst case scenario would be that things on our planet would continue to deteriorate at a more petty pace. 

Best case scenario is that we would find that slow is better. Life is short, and should be savoured slowly, not slaked speedily. 

It's the Sloth Life for me. I highly recommend it.

Getting Off Mechanical Time

Grandma had a Cronos clock on her mantelpiece - tick-tick, tick-tick... Time passed more slowly there.

The clock is one of the oldest human inventions. It is also one of my least favourite.

I have always dreaded the tiny tick of gears and whirring mechanisms, as well as the glow of digital time lords. One of my earliest memories is of sitting in my grandmother's neat and orderly living room. The only sound was the tick-tick of the clock on the mantelpiece. Wanting to be playing outside, a second passed in that living room much slower than a second running around out in the cool air of the yard.

For as long as I remember I have been trying to rip the hands off the time tyrant's mechanized time-bots. I am not built to live according to mechanically measured minutes. I am not a machine - I am an animal. I would rather rely on the internal biological clock, and the cues that nature constantly gives us.

"The mechanical clock dates from the 14th Century... The machine that mechanized time did more than regulate the activities of the day: it synchronized human reactions, not with the rising and setting sun but with the indicated movements of the clock's hands: so it brought exact measurement and temporal control into every activity, by setting an independent standard whereby the whole day could be laid out and subdivided. 

"The measurement of space and time became an integral part of the system of control that Western civilization spread over the planet.

- Lewis Mumford

Culturally, there are many, many different ways that humans experience time. Most are very different from our artificial and imposed time structure. My own belief is that things will happen when they need to happen. You can't organize a modern, capitalist organization with this particular view of time? Oh well.

Nature operates off the clock, the movement of celestial bodies probably being the closest thing to a mechanized, dependable schedule. Otherwise, things happen when they happen, without measured time. And it all seems to turn out fine.

What a joy to sleep when tired, and eat when hungry. We have dropped the usual designations for meals, because what do you really call it when you eat breakfast at 4:30 pm?

Now we just call them all "meals", or if we need to distinguish one from the other, "meal one", "meal two", and (if necessary), "meal three".

I like not knowing what day of the week it is (that's right, I have a problem with calendars, too). Sometimes it gets so good that I lose track of the month, while being lost in just being. Amazingly, things continue to happen in a somewhat orderly, if unpredictable, manner.

"If victory over nature has been achieved in this age, then the nature over which modern humans reign is a very different nature from that in which humans lived before the science revolution. Indeed, the trick that humans turned and that enabled the rise of modern science was nothing less than the transformation of nature and of their perception of reality. 

The paramount change that took place in the mental life of people, beginning during roughly the 14th Century, was in our perception of time and consequently of space."

- Joseph Weizenbaum

It is good to discover the joys of living an unmeasured life free from the endless sweep of Cronos' influence. Off the clock, time is no longer a destructive, all-devouring force. Rather than moving through fragmented time segments, like an endless staircase that only goes in one direction (toward death), one moves as if through a river.

Life flows effortlessly from one moment to the next. And the next...

To get off mechanical time is to free yourself to fully experience yourself as an integral part of the natural world. Beat the clock. Be free. Whenever possible.

Turtling

I have been turtling again. Looking for turtles, for Mother Earth's symbol carrier. Looking for some protection from the disorder the world is currently experiencing. And to my fortune, another beautiful turtle came to me - an eastern painted turtle this time.

I can take a hint. You have to know when to pull back from things, pull in and protect yourself. Turtle moves slowly, and is the most philosophical resident of the wetlands. Turtle has a lot of time to think and dream while overwintering in the bottom mud of watery places.

Turtle teaches us that we need protection, balance, and to ground ourselves in preparation for taking action. We need to be prepared - there is a lot to be done, as pointed out by quantum physicist David Bohm back in 1980.

"The notion that all these fragments is separately existent is evidently an illusion, and this illusion cannot do other than lead to endless conflict and confusion. 

Indeed, the attempt to live according to the notion that the fragments are really separate is, in essence, what has led to the growing series of extremely urgent crises that is confronting us today. 

Thus, as is now well known, this way of life has brought about pollution, destruction of the balance of nature, over-population, world-wide economic and political disorder and the creation of an overall environment that is neither physically nor mentally healthy for most of the people who live in it. 

Individually there has developed a widespread feeling of helplessness and despair, in the face of what seems to be an overwhelming mass of disparate social forces, going beyond the control and even the comprehension of the human beings who are caught up in it." 

- Wholeness and the Implicate Order

The animal medicine cards done by Jamie Sams and David Carson offer an excellent way to learn the natural lessons all creatures have to teach us.

"In Native American mythology, Turtle represented the Earth, the mother from whose substance the bodies of all creatures living on Earth were formed, and the nurturing Force that provides an opportunity for the human spirit to evolve. 

As a power animal, Turtle teaches the need for protection. Although you should find expression for the creative sources within, and allow your thoughts to reach up to "heavenly" things, it is essential to stay well grounded and to be connected to the power of the Earth. In other words, you must keep your feet on the ground of practicality. 

Turtle also stresses the need to keep the physical body in balance, and to remember that this is the vehicle through which we experience life on Earth. 

Turtle teaches the wisdom of aligning yourself with the cyclic flow of life, and demonstrates that the fastest way is not necessarily the best, for it takes time for ideas to develop properly. 

Turtle indicates Earth harmony, and draws you to all that is whole and good and abundant. Make haste slowly. 

Connect to Earth Mother. Ask for her blessings. Fertility and manifestation will follow." 

- Medicine Cards (Santa Fe: Bear and Company, 1988).

There is a time to take action, and there is a time to engage in some turtling, or pulling into your shell and protecting yourself from whatever threatens.

Go slow, lay low.

No Hurry To Buy Anything

Zig Ziglar worked in sales and was also a motivational speaker. 

Zig Ziglar worked in sales for a variety of companies. A life time of selling taught him that consumers in no hurry to buy anything were a problem for the salesperson.

'Buy now, or never. Last day of sale. Supplies almost out. Get what you want now. Hurry. Don't delay, don't think about it, topple in to the murky river of consumerism with both feet encased in diamond encrusted gilded concrete shoes. Now.'

With FOMO so prevalent these days, it is easy to fall for advertising that manufactures a false sense of having to make purchases with the most haste and enthusiasm you can muster. "Vanquish that fear of missing out", they whisper, "and buy now".

Gotcha! Unless you are not in a hurry and can't be compelled to buy into the false panic and rush.

If someone tells you that you need to buy something now or miss out, stash your wallet and run. Don't look back. Make a purchase in haste, and often you will end up wasting money, or owning things you don't need or want.

In my experience, if you really need something, you will usually get it. I like to allow the thing or situation to find me, rather than the other way around. Like waiting for a round pizza pan to arrive, then finding a perfect pan in our building's metal recycling. 100% off.

The universe has a way of providing things, often in unexpected ways, if only you are patient. As John Steinbeck observed, "If it is right, it happens. The main thing is not to hurry. Nothing good gets away."

Tidal Pool Eyes

The world is an amazing, beautiful place, but how can you see it if you don't stop every once in a while?
Image: Oystercatcher’s Garden by Melissa Cole

One day Linda and I were on the Pacific beach in a place with many tidal pools. Something happened that day that really changed the way I approach the world.

Linda had settled in to view one particular pool while I walked about exploring the general area. She called over to me and invited me to join her. I arrived at her little pool of water on the rocks.

"Check out all the life in here", she said.

After a few seconds I told her I didn't see anything, and started to move away to perhaps find a better pool of water with more stuff in it.

"Stop", she said. I stopped. "Come back here and sit down". I sat down next to what I thought was an empty pool of water.

"You have to have tidal pools eyes", she said. "Just stop and watch".

After a short while I began to see things. Something scurrying under the sand at the bottom of the pool. An anemone opening up. Tiny life forms scooting through the tiny salty sea. After about 60 seconds it was hard to keep track of all the life going on in what I previously saw as barren.

All I had to do was stop.

In First World countries it is hard to stop. We are trained from birth to go, go, go, and stopping for any length of time is liable to arouse suspicion, possibly scorn. But, really, is it possible to retire too early?

Don't we all yearn to just stop? To adapt our tidal pool eyes and see the world for what it is.

System Change Not Climate Change

Economy or environment? That isn't even a choice. What we should be asking is, "System change or status quo?"

If we go with status quo,  ego will continue to prevail over altruism. Hierarchies will continue to push our cooperatives, and centralized profit extraction will overshadow shared abundance. But not for long.

The old ways are crumbling all around us; the evidence is everywhere in plain sight. People are mobilizing in response.

A critical mass is forming. We are seeing an increasing pressure for system change that can not be ignored. The pace is picking up, which is good because there is some urgency. There is a lot to be done and not much time.

Everything needs to be built from the ground up. All of it. The whole of civilization. We will renegotiate the underlying guiding principles and power structures that used to work for us, but are no longer functioning.

Fundamental changes will help us form a new way. A saner, more gentle world will prevail.

Solidarity will replace selfishness.

Cooperation will replace competition.

People and the planet will come before profits.

This is the time for big shifts in thinking about how we do everything. We can't continue doing the same thing and hope for different results. We tried a civilization marked by bigger, faster and more complicated. It got us to where we are now.

How about a system based on keeping things smaller, slower and more simple? It is worth a try.

Winter Is A Good Time To Slow Down

A vase full of sunshiny happiness brightens the dark days.

The hours of daylight are now about as bleak as they are going to get. We are in peak season (in the northern hemisphere) for cold, dark days, and we know that mood, energy levels, and the seasons are connected. It is a great time to be able to slow things down.

While most people's schedules don't change throughout the year, they find that their energy levels wane along with the amount of sunshine and heat. One has just as much to do with less get-up-and-go.

A normal response to cold, dark days is lower energy levels, with about 10% to 25% of the population in northern climates experiencing more serious symptoms including Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD).

And we have a major holiday celebration at this time of year? Whose idea was that? It doesn't help when one feels more like sleeping in or eating a whole pie rather than going out into the chilly darkness. Being able to choose to do less and move more slowly right now is a nice nature-approved option.

In winter I would like to be a smart, old grizzly bear and hibernate through the dark days. Image how much money one would save on food and the heating bill. Turn down the heat this time of year, snuggle under an extra-warm down comforter, and see you March 20th.

Perhaps not so far fetched when NASA just announced some wonderfully torporific Deep Sleep research so they can slow down astronauts on their way to the planet Mars. Sleeping space travellers use less resources, and it makes the trip through a long winter in space more bearable.

Barring a few days, weeks, or months of sweet slumber, there are things that can be done to 'lighten' the mood in Winter whether you have SAD or not.

• light therapy
• using mirrors to reflect sunlight into home or office windows (I want some of these)
• Vitamin D supplements
• outdoor activity, especially on sunny days
• exercise
• laughter
• music

The above suggestions are supported by scientific research. Having fresh flowers on display through the winter is not mentioned, but it makes sense. I recently discovered 50% off flowers at the grocery store, so I am giving them a try. So far the results are good.

The research also does not mention the effectiveness of having a reduced schedule to match reduced winter energy levels, but it does work. Winter is a good time to slow down.

Good day, and good night.

Stop The Busyness Monday

I have a neighbour that has recently arrived in Canada from Cuba. When we talk about the differences between the two countries she often points out how much more busy it is here. Everything is "rapido, rapido, rapido", and that one is not hard to translate.

Maybe geography can account for some of the difference - this far north for a large part of the year if you don't keep moving you are going to freeze to death. But we do have homes with central heating, and yet the busyness goes on four seasons a year.

What is the purpose of all this friction as we frantically rub up against life? Is our quality of life improving? Do our efforts make the world a better place?

Many of the world's difficulties are due to the glorification of busy. Busy for the sake of busy. Keep moving. Increase productivity. Do more with less, or do more with more but always, do more.

We tend to look at non-busyness with suspicion. What would we even do if we stopped all the activity?

People are unable, afraid, to break their addiction to busyness. It is, after all, a culturally approved road to "success", and it  helps avoid being labeled with a variety of get-with-the-program put-downs like "slacker" or "lay about".

John Lennon, in his song Watching The Wheels, lamented being labeled as "lazy" when he took time off from the music industry to raise his son and bake bread.

People say I'm crazy doing what I'm doing,

Well they give me all kinds of warnings to save me from ruin,

When I say that I'm o.k. they look at me kind of strange,

Surely your not happy now you no longer play the game...

But Lennon was happy and content with the slow pace of his new simple life. He was not afraid to step off the merry-go-round.

Like Lennon, we should not be afraid of slowing down, or stopping completely. Our mental health and the health of the world depend on our ability to balance action with rest. It is vital that we occasionally take a break to talk with a neighbour, or watch hummingbirds visit a feeder or go for a walk. Or just sit.

Industrialized nations would benefit from adopting a more tropical attitude. Instead of a frenetico high stress life out of step with natural cycles and rhythms, we can create one in which cooling down time is as important as the heat of activity.

We all benefit from moderating the relentless pursuit of busy and taking a little tranquilo tiempo. I propose a revolution of relaxation that introduces the spirit of the siesta into the frantic bits of the world that are desperately in need of a nice, long rest.

Think of all the damage that would not be done, and rest we would get, if we all agreed to do nothing more often. I know my neighbour would be appreciative if we could slow or stop the busyness, even for a short while.

Slow Down And Buy Less

Making rash purchasing decisions can lead the hare over
a financial cliff.

Are you a tortoise or a hare when it comes to buying things?

I have never understood the rush for bunnies buying things. Why all this frenzied, panicked, and often unnecessary purchasing that frequently leads to feelings of guilt and regret afterwards?

Better to slow down to the speed of the tortoise and think carefully about what we are buying, and why we are buying it. With a cautious approach, time can be on your side when it comes to buying anything.

People with something to sell you will also try to use time, or the artificially imposed lack of it, to their advantage. Why?

Research shows that we are willing to spend more money when we are overpowered by emotions. Any of the following appeals will be familiar to anyone who has ever seen an advertisement:

• "Only one left."
• "[Product] is going fast."
• "Hurry."
• "Limited time offer."
• "Time is running out."

Whoa, there! I refuse to be hurried while making any purchasing decision. It is impossible to think clearly when you are flooded with fear, anxiety or panic.



Slow Down - Ask These Questions Before Buying

Any time I identify something I think I need, I wait. During this opportunity to think more clearly I ask a few key questions:

1. Do I really need this? No, really. Most prospective purchases stop at this first stage.
2. If I need it, do I need it right now? Perhaps waiting will be advantageous.
3. Can I borrow, rent, or trade rather than purchase? You need the hole, not the drill.
4. Does it make sense to buy used? You pay more for new and often it does not matter.
5. Have I found the best deal? Often you can find things for free!  Check out Craigslist, Kijiji, etc.
6. Can I afford it? If I don't have cash, I do not buy until I do. Credit is a killer.
7. Can the planet afford it? Every one of our purchases has unintentional consequences that have effects on the environment and on the people around us.

If you think that I have managed to take all the fun out of buying anything, you are right. But that is a good thing in my opinion. Buying stuff should be based on a rational definition of need rather than on its entertainment value, or a sense of panic.

It may take the tortoise a long while to do the research required to make an informed, non-emotional purchase, but in the end, the slow moving, thoughtful purchaser will not be plunging over any fiscal cliffs.

Don't be fooled by the pulse-elevating slogans that are designed to create panicked and unnecessary purchases.

Slow down, think more, and buy less. At the same time you will save money, reduce clutter, and shrink your eco-footprint. And you will be as chill as the long-lived, low-stress tortoise.

A Little Inconvenience Is Good

Inconvenience Store

Sometimes I jokingly call our home the 'house of inconvenience'. We are in no hurry, so don't have the need for time-saving conveniences. We think that if something is worth doing, it is worth doing slowly and mindfully.

Things are more difficult, but are also more meaningful. We are joyful, active participants in our increasingly self-reliant lifestyle. We enjoy the benefits of our thoughtful, inconvenient life.

Conveniences have been grossly oversold to the public. If life is so busy that I have to take the convenient route to compensate, perhaps what I need is a less busy life.

It's not natural to expect to be able to proceed through life with little effort or difficulty. Life is hard, and perhaps should be (within reason) for optimal human functioning. Humans, in our natural state, are curious and like a challenge - it keeps us interested and focused.

If you want the easy life, there will always be someone willing to sell you something that will, "make life better".

But there will also always be trade offs and unintended consequences. There is no shortage of examples of conveniences gone wild. 

-Keyless entry cars

"Touted as a convenience and car safety measure on over 150 new models, the key-less ignition has been linked to two carbon monoxide-related deaths in Florida and one in New York, where the feature led drivers to unknowingly leave their cars running overnight in attached garages as they were enveloped in the deadly gas." 

- Fast foods

"Fast food restaurants are extremely tactful and strategic in attracting customers. Their various forms of marketing practices draw consumers in, making them utilize a window for service, eat deep-fried foods, and receive large portions. The industry conducts a successful, yet health-harming business because they are preying on consumers’ needs for convenience."

-Synthetic clothes

"The micro fibres of easy wash, quick drying, low iron, synthetic clothes go down the drain and eventually end up in coastal marine habitats.

Marine biologists report that microplastic, comprised of fibres less than 1mm in length, is accumulating in marine habitats and shorelines throughout the world. They suggested that polyester and acrylic fibres from wastewater are a major source of this contamination. A single synthetic garmet, the study found, can yield more than 1,900 microfibers per wash."

Our conveniences have serious consequences.

Taking the perceived path of least effort degrades our quality of life. Every year conveniences are responsible for outright killing.

It would seem that a little inconvenience is good for you.

Why else would people go camping? Or bake their own bread? Or cook meals from scratch? Or ride their bike to work? Or paint an original rather than do a paint by number?

Not So Convenient Coffee Maker Recall

Convenience Kills: Common Sense, Quality, DIY...

For most consumers convenience is everything. If it is not convenient, it is so not happening, regardless of how good it may be. However, we are learning that convenience always comes at a price.

This is evident in the recent North American recall of over 1 million units of a popular brand of uber-convenient single-brew coffee makers. It appears that some users, and innocent bystanders including children, have been burned by a bad design and the desire for a quick, individual brew.

When I first saw the single-cup coffee makers in 2008, I thought they were a bad idea. The kitchen gadgets use pre-measured, prepackaged pods for each single cup of coffee that is manufactured.

It is these plastic pods that have been exploding, burning lurking coffee drinkers counting down the seconds, as well as bystanders.

Not convenient, but safe,
and makes tastier coffee

The small plastic pods, besides being dangerous, also show how convenience often ends in wasted resources. Each cup made produces more waste.

Up to 80% of the things we buy are considered disposable and quickly end up in landfills. We can't afford such excessive waste.

Neither is it affordable when buying coffee in single servings. If it is convenience that you want, you are going to have to pay more. The recalled coffee makers have an annual cost of $275.00 to $640.00 for two cups per day, depending on the kinds of single-serving coffee pods purchased.

For comparisons sake, the annual cost of using a French press - which is also fast, but makes much better coffee - would be about $100 to $200 for two cups per day, depending on the beans you are using. Unfortunately, financial considerations may be the least of the coffee conundrums.

All taste - no waste

Some caffeine-fueled consumers have received 2nd degree burns from their single-brew cartridge coffee makers. If you own one of the models in question, unplug it, and contact the manufacturer.

Better yet, never use it again. Get some beans and a coffee grinder, and brew a tasty batch in a French press or stove-top coffee perk. Taste with no waste, and much cheaper, too.

Convenience should be balanced with sustainability. What is convenient, is rarely what is best. While making decisions about what and how we consume, it is good to keep this in mind.

If we don't, we could get burned.

Nature Does Not Hurry

“Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.” - Lao Tzu

My life speed limit is SLOW. Or somewhere between slow and stop. It has always been this way - I have tachophobia.

My fear of speed does not show up on amusement park rides, while sledding down snow-covered hills, or on jet planes. When it comes to life, though, I definitely become tachophobic.

I don't know about you, but the faster I try to live, the less effective I become. When I rush I end up either breaking something, or hurting myself. Or both.

Recently I drove through a red light. The guy behind me must have been in a rush as well because he went through the red right behind me. Argh - time to do some downshifting.

I drove to a park and went for a walk, feeling lucky that I wasn't in Emergency on a stretcher.

Proceed slowly

Why live in a world that is complicated, fast, and detrimental to personal and planetary health when a simple, naturally-paced, wholesome alternative is possible?

I don't think snails get tachophobic as they move along at their leisurely .05 kilometer per hour (.03 mph) top speed. And yet they still get to where they need to go.

Nature is slow and patient, and like snails, we are part of nature. We can live at a more relaxed and enjoyable speed (which, in my case, will also be safer).

What's the hurry? Try reducing your life speed limit for health and happiness.

After Reaching Peak Speed We're Slowing Down

Some container ships today have cut their speed by half, matching the speed of the Cutty Sark

 

After decades of racing faster and faster, the planet is beginning to slow down. Of course it had to, because we can not increase our pace of life infinitely. Eventually we will hit a wall, and slowing down will be the only option. It is an option that is increasingly recommended for the chronically busy, fast-paced global culture.

Slow food, slow parenting, slow money, slow travel, the slow life - the rebellion against relentless speed has begun. Keeping with this trend is the practice of slow shipping. Global shipping giant Maersk has seen the light and say, “Going at full throttle is economically and ecologically questionable.”

Cargo ships are now steaming half speed ahead, a response to the high cost of fuel, and the desire to cut carbon emissions. These modern ships are now traveling at the same speed as the Cutty Sark and other clipper ships sailed in the 1800s. Instead of container ships throttling along at breakneck speeds they are adding another week to their ocean crossing times.

Making things faster only increases our productivity and happiness to a point, beyond which we garner fewer and fewer benefits, and more and more problems. We have reached that point already. And as we were allowing ourselves to be wound up we found that along with the cottage, second car and cappuccino maker came stress, burnout, broken families, and depression.

If speed is the problem, then slowing down is the answer. Here's to peak relaxation and contentment.

“For fast-acting relief try slowing down.”
~ Lily Tomlin