We’ve all been living under the promise that things will get faster, and oh boy, that promise has certainly been fulfilled. We now have faster transportation, fast food, two-hour delivery shopping, and faster technology each year.
Yet, we rarely pause to reflect on what this speed means for us—how it affects us individually and collectively. It impacts our habits, sleep (or lack of it!), relationships, and the planet.
What if there are consequences that we haven’t fully noticed yet, but are palpable in many ways if we take a deeper look? What if, after so many breakthroughs, we’re left with less patience, fewer personal connections, less appreciation for what we have, and more craving for what we don’t?
In this era of speed and efficiency, slowing down almost feels revolutionary. Achieving the same result, but taking longer, is almost counterintuitive. But in that search for more calm, we might also find some benefits.
Sending a letter to a loved one is way slower than sending a quick message, but taking some time to think about what you want to say and putting in some effort in how you express it might help you process how you feel or might have a more profound impact on the other person.
Reading a book will profoundly impact your mindset more than watching a random video on YouTube or reading a trending topic tweet on X.
Have you done anything with your hands lately? Sure, you can buy or delegate it to someone else, but the pure satisfaction and connection you get from any activity involving a more physical activity is quite something.
Here’s a quick exercise: Take a morning this weekend and go to your nearest forest (or a large park will do). Take a slow, calm walk. No rush, no phone, no commitments, just a walk.
Walking in nature to reconnect with what we’ve lost isn’t a new idea. In 1845, Thoreau went to live in a small cabin in the woods for two years, searching for the same things, and rejecting the growing speed and materialism of his time.
Live in each season as it passes; breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit, and resign yourself to the influence of the earth.
The defiance of what’s established and considered “normal” has always been seen as odd at first, rebellious later on, but perhaps that’s precisely what we all need: a slow revolution to change ourselves, and change the world.
