Slowing down is not giving up
We often confuse slowness with laziness, and speed with efficiency.
And yet going fast does not always mean moving forward.
I sometimes slow down not because I am dropping my guard, but because I want to see more clearly where I am going.
Speed as habit
We get into the habit of doing things fast, sometimes without even knowing why.
We eat fast, reply fast, move on without drawing breath.
This is not always a choice. It is often an automatism, sustained by everything around us.
What slowness allows
When I slow down, I notice things that were escaping me.
A detail, a fatigue, a genuine desire rather than a reaction.
Slowing down is not doing less. It is leaving time for things to have meaning.
A few ways of trying it
Nothing spectacular, simply a few gestures:
- doing one thing, and finishing it before the next
- marking a brief pause before replying or deciding
- accepting that a day need not be full to be good
A question of measure
I am not advocating slowness for its own sake. There are moments when one must move fast, and that is perfectly fine.
What I seek is to be able to choose my pace, rather than having it imposed on me permanently.
Conclusion
Slowing down is not renouncing progress.
It is sometimes the only way not to lose oneself along the route.
Yannick Costechareyre