I do things slowly.
How will you judge me? Lazy? Dumb?
Well, hold on that as we explore Slowness in this edition of Atomic Ideas newsletter.
But before that, a quick update: we’ll soon move out of substack to our own newsletter system as there have been many payment failures and importantly, am not too happy with the lack of control on the number-of-emails-to-ask-to-subscription (it’s way too annoying and I really apologize for this).
Nothing changes for subscribers (free or paid) but treat this as a FYI.
Now, back to the topic. Slow vs. Fast. First, here is one truth that we all definitely seem to believe in,
The world is still straining to do everything faster—and paying a heavy price for it. The toll taken by the hurry-up culture is well documented. We are driving the planet and ourselves towards burnout. We are so time-poor and time-sick that we neglect our friends, families and partners.
We barely know how to enjoy things anymore because we are always looking ahead to the next thing. Much of the food we eat is bland and unhealthy. With our children caught up in the same hailstorm of hurry, the future looks bleak.
Why are we always in such a rush? What is the cure for time sickness? Is it possible, or even desirable, to slow down?
5 core ideas from the book In Praise of Slownes: Challenging the Cult of Speed by Carl Honoré.
First of all, how did we get so fast?
Ans: Timekeeping
Ancient civilizations used calendars to work out when to plant and harvest crops. Timekeeping proved to be a double-edged sword. On the upside, scheduling can make anyone more efficient, from peasant farmers to software engineers. Soon enough, the tables turn, and time takes over.
We become slaves to the schedule, post industrial revolution.
Speed is not bad.
Speed has helped to remake our world in ways that are wonderful and liberating. Who wants to live without the Internet or jet travel?
The problem is that our love of speed
Our obsession with doing more and more in less and less time, has gone too far; it has turned into an addiction, a kind of idolatry.
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