Slow Down
* let's get reacquainted with nature's pace *
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Life isn't all GO GO GO * FULL SPEED AHEAD
We're sucking down coffee and
caffeinated sodas - artificially
amped up and maxxed out.
And thinking its all
good and normal ?!
We're too busy to even notice that we're living at a self-punishing pace.
caffeinated sodas - artificially
amped up and maxxed out.
And thinking its all
good and normal ?!
Living fast. Living large ... without regard for natural limitations.
Surely it doesn't need to be this way.
Seems like, with all our technological advances, we'd be able to take care of the basics
of day to day life, in a minimum number of hours - leaving plenty of time for creative pursuits,
time for our children, sports, volunteer work, and the like.
of day to day life, in a minimum number of hours - leaving plenty of time for creative pursuits,
time for our children, sports, volunteer work, and the like.
Way back in the 1960's, I remember reading an article in Time magazine, that predicted that
by the year 2000, we'd have so much free time on our hands ( thanks to the modern marvels of technology, science and industry) - that we'd need a legion of new lifestyle counselors to help us
rethink & reinvent our lives of leisure.
by the year 2000, we'd have so much free time on our hands ( thanks to the modern marvels of technology, science and industry) - that we'd need a legion of new lifestyle counselors to help us
rethink & reinvent our lives of leisure.
What a farce! In reality, we're working more than ever.
In "2000 the average married couple with children was working almost 500 hours a year
more than in 1979." reports Jeffrey Kaplan in the May/June 2008 issue of Orion.
Workers in the United States are putting in more hours than anyone else in the industrialized world.more than in 1979." reports Jeffrey Kaplan in the May/June 2008 issue of Orion.
And, 93% of Americans ..." agree that we are too focused on working and making money
and not focused enough on family and community." ( Korten - "The Great Turning")
and not focused enough on family and community." ( Korten - "The Great Turning")
How can we turn this around?
We'll certainly need to, if we're going to embrace this Great Turning that we find
ourselves in. We'll need to create a more reasonable, humane and natural pace of life.
ourselves in. We'll need to create a more reasonable, humane and natural pace of life.
A slower pace of life allows us -
* Time for social & political activism ... and community building.
* Time to heal the damage we've inflicted on our Mother Earth.
* Time for reflection and personal healing, art and recreation.
"citizenship requires a commitment of time and attention, a commitment people cannot
make if they are lost to themselves in an ever-accelerating cycle of work and consumption."
(Jeffrey Kaplan)make if they are lost to themselves in an ever-accelerating cycle of work and consumption."
So, we'll want to create fewer time constraints in our lives.
More flexibility.
If we're too tightly scheduled, where's the wiggle room for change & adaptation ?
More flexibility.
If we're too tightly scheduled, where's the wiggle room for change & adaptation ?
(photo by Yoshiaki Nagashima)
The natural pace of life has its ups and downs.
There are slow times, and there are seasons of pulsing abundance as well.
Each year we are renewed right along with the shoots and buds of Spring,
which blossom and fruit, bringing the ease of Summer,
followed by the gathering-in of the harvest and the brilliant decay of Autumn,
and the slow, deep darkness of Winter.
An endless turning of the seasons.
We are truly one with this timeless ebb and flow.
which blossom and fruit, bringing the ease of Summer,
followed by the gathering-in of the harvest and the brilliant decay of Autumn,
and the slow, deep darkness of Winter.
An endless turning of the seasons.
We are truly one with this timeless ebb and flow.
Except that we're not - not really.
Most of us are inside our climate controlled office, class room, home or car .... staring at screens for hours.
.... barely aware of what's going on in the natural world, except maybe when it inconveniences us.
If we're going to live in better harmony with the Earth,
we'll need to get back in sync with nature's rhythms.
One of the best ways to Slow Down is simply, Drive Less.
When we're regularly hurtling ourselves around at 60 miles an hour, it's easy to get a skewed sense of time.
So let's say goodbye to our love affair with the automobile.
It wasn't that long ago that we, as a society, walked more in our day-to-day lives ...
... getting chores done .... visiting friends.
Just 25-30 short years ago, people drove fewer miles, and walked to places like the post office,
the corner store, and neighbors homes.
Walking is what humans are designed for.
It puts us in touch with our neighborhoods, and the people and critters who inhabit it.
Even in the midst of big city life, walking gets us out in nature ...
.... feeling the seasons, the chill of winter winds and the fragrance of spring on the air.
We tend to be healthier when we walk regularly.
It puts us in touch with our neighborhoods, and the people and critters who inhabit it.
Even in the midst of big city life, walking gets us out in nature ...
.... feeling the seasons, the chill of winter winds and the fragrance of spring on the air.
We tend to be healthier when we walk regularly.
You know you can do it - just drive less.
There are places you drive to regularly, that you could probably walk or bike to.
Can you cut down on your weekly mileage by 10%, 30 % or more?
Can you cut down on your weekly mileage by 10%, 30 % or more?
How about scheduling days that are car free?
Maybe, if you rearrange your life a bit -
if you bike and walk a lot,
and use public transportation,
and flex cars, and friends' cars -
and use public transportation,
and flex cars, and friends' cars -
Who knows, maybe you could become completely car free?
Think of all the money you could save without car payments and insurance and maintenance costs!
As we reduce our dependence on cars, we cut CO2 emissions and help address global climate change.
There's a zillion ways to cut back on driving.
OK - ALL TOGETHER NOW
Let's collectively agree to reduce the time we spend behind the wheel, and see how quickly things change.
Imagine:
* clearer, cleaner skies.
* people re-inhabiting their homes and neighborhoods.
* quieter communities, without the incessant roar of traffic.
* fewer deaths of our loved ones in vehicle accidents.
Talk about being sped ! What about all the jet travel we do?
Vacations and business conferences and family affairs.
Air travel is an absolute marvel really.
Journeys that might previously have taken weeks, even months, can now take place in a single day.
In a matter of hours we can easily get halfway around the world.
But all this jetting around can really meddle with our sense of time and reality.
And jets are incredibly polluting energy hogs!
"Many people are surprised to find out how unfriendly air travel is to the environment."
... "aircraft generate a large amount of carbon dioxide (CO2 ), a global warming gas
... as well as sulfur dioxide (SO2) and particles of soot ... that also contribute to climate change.
"Other pollutants include nitrogen oxides (NOx), which contribute to smog and are lung irritants."
( from National Geographic's "Green Guide Families" )
"One 747 arriving and departing from JFK airport in New York City produces as much smog as a car
driven over 5,600 miles, and as much polluting nitrogen oxide as a car driven nearly 26,500 miles."
driven over 5,600 miles, and as much polluting nitrogen oxide as a car driven nearly 26,500 miles."
Since 9/11 ... and the resulting heightened airport security measures, and rising fuel costs,
people are flying less. Thank God.
What an extravagant use of petroleum - keeping those hefty chunks of metal airborne!
It's only natural that we'd eventually cut back on air travel. I hope there's still some vestige
of the airline industry left in 100 years or so, but you've got to wonder.
Can you slow down the pace of your life by cutting back on air travel?
Try more teleconferencing ?
Maybe vacation in the scenic beauty of your own region ?
Maybe reconsider next year's Hawaiian beach retreat, and hop on a train instead?
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"A train uses about roughly half the energy and generates less than a third of the greenhouse gas emissions as a large commercial aircraft."
They're our most efficient form of motorized mass transportation.
It takes a lot of energy to get all those train cars going, but once they're in motion,
they want to keep on going.
- A body in motion tends to stay in motion - it's the Third Law of Physics (right?).
When it comes to hauling goods, trains are way more efficient than trucks.
I've come across estimates suggesting that trains are somewhere between 8 to 20 times
more energy efficient than long haul trucks.
I've come across estimates suggesting that trains are somewhere between 8 to 20 times
more energy efficient than long haul trucks.
It makes me wonder, why doesn't America embrace the use of trains more?
As energy efficient as trains are, I'll never quite understand why our rail system isn't better utilized.
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Well honestly, come to think of it, I do know why.
And I hope you'll bear with me, as we take a little detour to explain:As energy efficient as trains are, I'll never quite understand why our rail system isn't better utilized.
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Well honestly, come to think of it, I do know why.
The petro/industrial power structure doesn't want the rail system to work well.
They're too invested in cars and roads.
You see, way back in the 1920's, the automobile industry - General Motors and its allies -
"was determined to wipe out railway competition by whatever means necessary."
"was determined to wipe out railway competition by whatever means necessary."
They bought up rail systems all throughout the U.S. - in Chicago and LA and New York -
and a hundred other cities - and then they ripped up the tracks...tore down the overhead wires.
and a hundred other cities - and then they ripped up the tracks...tore down the overhead wires.
It was a case of corporate malfeasance that went to trial to 1947, resulting in fines of one dollar
each to corporate heads of GM, Mack Truck, Firestone and Standard Oil ... a mere slap on the hand
of men who consciously destroyed America's first inner city rail systems.
(Eric Schlosser - "Fast Food Nation")
each to corporate heads of GM, Mack Truck, Firestone and Standard Oil ... a mere slap on the hand
of men who consciously destroyed America's first inner city rail systems.
(Eric Schlosser - "Fast Food Nation")
And for decades since, corporations have gotten in the way of more efficient transportation options.
Look at gas mileage of our modern cars
- with all the tinkering and re-engineering that's done each and every year on automobiles,
you'd think that by now, we'd have excellent fuel efficiency.
In reality, it's not so very different from the days of Henry Ford and the Model T.
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Look at gas mileage of our modern cars
- with all the tinkering and re-engineering that's done each and every year on automobiles,
you'd think that by now, we'd have excellent fuel efficiency.
In reality, it's not so very different from the days of Henry Ford and the Model T.
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But thank goodness we've still got train tracks all over the country. They didn't all get torn up.
I'd say we're about due for a revival, a resurgence in the use of efficient, steady trains.
So, enjoy the downtime that trains can afford.
Enjoy the gentle rhythm of rolling down the tracks
.... the romance of the rails.
Support and encourage rail travel in your region, OK?
While we're slowing down,
and cutting back on our consumption of gas and petroleum,
we might also want to cut back on our own personal jet fuel,
----- caffeine -----
and cutting back on our consumption of gas and petroleum,
we might also want to cut back on our own personal jet fuel,
----- caffeine -----
and other stimulants, like sugar and cocaine and meth.
There's so many ways to get pumped up these days -
- designer coffees and 64 oz. sodas, energy drinks and even some types of bottled water.
Sure, it's fun to get all revved up.
I love the delightful rush of coffee, too .... but only once a week or so - and then it's a special treat.
We can't always go on at this amped up pace.
A relentless pace burns out our adrenal glands. It's unnatural and unsustainable.
In fact, the notion that we can somehow always go
FASTER, ONWARD and UPWARD and BIGGER, is a total fictional conceit.
Yet constant growth is the chosen path of modern capitalism.
In reality, unchecked growth and speed is Cancer, it's War, it's Hell on Earth.
What goes up, must come down.
It's another basic Law of Nature, and last I checked, we humans are still subject to the Laws of Nature.
So, let's see.... How else can we Slow Down?
Well, I figure Most of us could use more SLEEP... lots more sleep in fact.
It might seem a bit counterintuitive.
I mean, I know there's plenty of work to be done out there, but how are we going to make this Change
sensibly if we're all addled from a lack of deep, sound sleep ?
On average, we sleep about an hour less than we did a few decades ago.
One sleep survey shows that nearly three-quarters of us don't get enough sleep nightly.
Lack of sleep impairs our mental functions.
It can cause memory loss and depression, slow our reaction time, and create a whole host of other problems,
such as:
Aching muscles ... decreased concentration ... weakened immune systems ... headache ... irritability.
When was the last time you lingered in bed, until you really felt like getting up?
Do it again soon OK .
Be good to yourself. You deserve a rest ... We all do.
Relax.Be good to yourself. You deserve a rest ... We all do.
Are you rested enough to remember your dreams?
If you had an important Dream, the kind that might give you keen insights into your True Path,
would you be able to recall it ?
If you had an important Dream, the kind that might give you keen insights into your True Path,
would you be able to recall it ?
Or is all your REM time bound up in making sense of all your media / drive / work / family time,
with no space left for creative dreaming ?
with no space left for creative dreaming ?
Really, it's OK to Slow Down.
Idle hands are NOT the devil's playground.
High productivity is not a mandate from God....but Love is.
Love Yourself. Love this awesome planet.
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In our efforts to slow down and reclaim our lives,
perhaps we should consider putting in fewer hours at our jobs.
Now I know it might be a difficult adjustment to work less.
But I think many of us could trade-in some of our material abundance for more free time.
And end up happier in the bargain.
But I think many of us could trade-in some of our material abundance for more free time.
And end up happier in the bargain.
A slower, more self-sustaining lifestyle requires so much less energy and money
to get by on, yet still affords a reasonably comfortable, healthy & interesting life.
Yes, I know life just gets more and more expensive.
Look how much the cost of basics like food, housing and fuel have shot up in the past few years!
Ouch !
I can't believe how expensive it's gotten to heat our house, and we don't even keep it that warm really.
It bears repeating though, - a pleasant, more natural life is less expensive than the rat race.
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"Cutting back on work hours can take many forms:
* reducing your commuting time
* switching to a flextime work schedule
* saying no to overtime and to promotions that mean more time and pressure
* not taking work home
* working fewer hours
* even quitting to work from home as an independent contractor/freelancer."
* switching to a flextime work schedule
* saying no to overtime and to promotions that mean more time and pressure
* not taking work home
* working fewer hours
* even quitting to work from home as an independent contractor/freelancer."
(from "Living simply with Children" by Marie Sherlock)
Maybe we should go ahead and enjoy whatever vacation time our work allows us.
There's a significant chunk of our population that doesn't even take the meager vacation time
they're given. But hey, look what I read in the local paper recently,
There's a significant chunk of our population that doesn't even take the meager vacation time
they're given. But hey, look what I read in the local paper recently,
"Men who don't take vacations are 32% more likely to die of heart attacks."
"Lack of vacation time doubles depression rates for women."
"Americans take less vacations, and more anti-depressants,
than people in every other civilized country and most uncivilized ones."
"Lack of vacation time doubles depression rates for women."
"Americans take less vacations, and more anti-depressants,
than people in every other civilized country and most uncivilized ones."
It's a shame how little vacation time American workers are given, in contrast with the weeks
and weeks of paid vacation time enjoyed in so many European countries.
What is it about Americans and our obsession with work and productivity anyway?
Is there some sort of moral imperative to constantly work, work, work ?
That old Protestant work ethic sure is deeply woven into our culture.
Is there some sort of moral imperative to constantly work, work, work ?
That old Protestant work ethic sure is deeply woven into our culture.
Apparently, hunter/gatherer cultures (past and present) spend about 4 hours a day
taking care of the basics, leaving plenty of time for singing and crafting, playing and dreaming.
taking care of the basics, leaving plenty of time for singing and crafting, playing and dreaming.
Surely we too, with all our technological advances,
could get the basics taken care of in a minimum of time.
could get the basics taken care of in a minimum of time.
By far the best thing about a slower, more natural pace of life, is that it genuinely feels better.
Less stressful.
More relaxed ... naturally.
More relaxed ... naturally.
When you slow down to a more natural pace, there's more time to celebrate,
and truly enjoy friends and family ...
.... time to linger over lovingly prepared foods.
More time just to be yourself ...
* to pursue your own interests.
* to recreate community.
* to heal our scarred Planet.
So come on ... Slow Down ... the natural pace is way more fun!
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love & determination will see us through
love & determination will see us through
Naturally Peaceful by Janine Offutt is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License.