Our world operates on high speed and is getting faster. Some people
thrive on the pace, but it leaves most of us feeling frustrated, perpetually
tired, and unable to do our best. And sometimes, when something or someone
gets in our way and slows us down, the age of speed becomes the age of rage.
That’s when some decide to make big changes to their lives, slowing down and
embracing wholeness, balance, and well- being. These folks radically
reorganize their lives, moving from high-powered careers to self-employment,
and becoming part of the voluntary simplicity or “downshifting” movements.
But many more of us are living richer, fuller lives simply by adjusting the
rhythm of our days – and embracing Slow.
Author Carl Honoré heralded this growing movement of people dedicated to
slowing down the pace of their lives in his 2004 book In Praise of Slow.
“Slow” in this context does not mean operating at a snail’s pace; it means
living at the right speed. As Honoré puts it, “That implies quality over
quantity; real and meaningful human connections; being present and in the
moment.” The concept can be applied to all aspects of life, from sports,
parenting, and sex to finances, business, and, of course, food, which is
where it all started.
Slow Food
The Slow Food movement began in 1986 with the launch of the Italian Slow
Food association by Carlo Petrini, a writer upset by the opening of fast
food chains in Rome. His manifesto complained that we “are enslaved by speed
and have all succumbed to the same insidious virus: Fast Life,
which...forces us to eat Fast Foods, which diminish opportunities for
conversation, communion, quiet reflection, and sensuous pleasure, thus
shortchanging the hungers of the soul. In the name of productivity, Fast
Life has changed our way of being and threatens our environment and our
landscapes. Our defense should begin at the table with Slow Food.” Since
then, chapters have sprung up around the world and the focus includes
sustainable production by small, local producers as well as Fair Trade, in
effect recognizing “the strong connections between plate, planet, people and
culture.”
Slow Money
Connected to Slow Food is Slow Money. Leading the charge to slow our money
down is American venture capitalist and entrepreneur Woody Tasch who wants
to design capital markets built around preservation and restoration rather
than extraction and consumption. For Tasch, what that means in practice is
investing in local food systems and other small food enterprises.
Slow Travel
Travel and tourism can have a high environmental impact and make a major
contribution to climate change. Slow Travel, on the other hand, has a
concern for locality, ecology, and quality of life. It is vacation travel
where airplanes and cars are replaced by more environmentally benign forms
of transport such as cycling, hiking, and train travel – which take much
longer and are part of the experience. Slow Travel also includes exploring
natural features of the destination, seeking out Slow Food opportunities,
swapping homes or staying with local residents instead of chain hotels, and
generally savoring the experience.
Slow Families
Carl Honoré coined the term “Slow Parenting” a few years ago with the
publication of his book Under Pressure, although others have recognized the
problem for decades. Our culture of speed and success-at-all-costs has led
many parents to over- schedule, over-stimulate, and generally over-manage
every detail of their kids’ lives. Slow Parenting says: Don’t push kids to
grow up too fast; rather, trust your instincts and your children.
Slow Cities
Like Slow Food, the Slow Cities movement originated in Italy and, in fact,
includes promotion of local food and culture in its reason for being, along
with environmental initiatives that might, for instance, involve promotion
of walking and cycling over automobile use, as well as green space
development.
I’m a big believer in mindfulness, a Buddhist concept that can be described
as awareness. Author and meditation teacher Jon Kabat-Zinn defines it as a
way of paying attention so that “you don’t wind up getting entrained into
being a human doing rather than a human being.” Slowing down provides us
with the ability to pay attention and be human.
Learn More
In Praise of Slow: How a Worldwide Movement Is Challenging the Cult of Speed
by Carl Honoré (Vintage Canada, 2004)
Slow Food Nation: Why Our Food Should Be Good, Clean, and Fair by Carlo Petrini (Rizzoli Ex Libris, 2007)
Inquiries Into the Nature of Slow Money: Investing as if Food, Farms, and
Fertility Mattered by Woody Tasch (Chelsea Green, 2010)
Under Pressure: Rescuing Our Children from the Culture of Hyper-Parenting by
Carl Honoré (Harper, 2007)
Slow Travel and Tourism by Janet Dickinson and Les Lumsdon (Earthscan
Publications, 2010)
Radical Simplicity: Small Footprints on a Finite Earth by Jim Merkel (New
Society Publishers, 2003)
The Power of Slow: 101 Ways to Save Time in Our 24/7 World by Christine
Louise Hohlbaum (St. Martin’s Press, 2009)
Slow Food - www.slowfood.com
Slow Money - www.slowmoney.org
Slow Cities - www.cittaslow.org
Wendy Priesnitz is the editor of Natural Life Magazine and a
journalist with 35 years of experience. She tries to live slowly.
Photo (c) copyright
Carlos E. Santa Maria /Shutterstock Images
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