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Monday 26 December 2016

The Slow Movement

This time last year, we looked at a rather nice aspect of the Slow Movement:
Futures Forum: Slow Food: "Pleasure, hedonism, enjoyment, tranquility, conviviality, richness"

It's all about taking it easy and enjoying things a little - or enjoying those little things in life:
Futures Forum: In Praise of Idleness: "If Hadza nomads get by on 14 hours’ work a week, why can’t we?"
Futures Forum: In Praise of Idleness: working less could actually be better for everyone.

With a nod to a rather fine publication:
The Idler

Here are a couple of pages to browse through:
Cultural Vision: What is the Slow Movement? | Rethinking Prosperity
Slow movement (culture) - Wikipedia
The slow path to not much - International Institute of Not Doing Much 
The Slow Movement: Making a Connection 

With some really good ideas here:



The Slow Movement


For fast acting relief, try slowing down.
               ~ Lily Tomlin, Comedienne

Anything worth doing is worth doing slowly.
               ~ Mae West, Actress

We are living the fast life, instead of the good life.
               ~ Carl HonorĂ©, author of In Praise of Slowness 


The Slow Movement is a term describing a wide range of efforts taking place around the world that seek to connect us more meaningfully with others, with place, and with ourselves. It emerged as an effort to counteract the fast–paced, commodity–focused, unbalanced, and impersonal nature of much of modern human culture. The main tenant of the Slow Movement is that by taking the appropriate amount of time to experience the various activities of our lives, we are able to get in touch with what is deeply satisfying and fulfilling.

The origins of the Slow Movement are with Slow Food which began in 1986 in Italy as a reaction to "fast food." Carlo Petrini founded the Slow Food movement to promote the use of fresh local foods, grown with sustainable farming techniques, prepared with love, and consumed in a leisurely manner in the company of good friends and family. He and others soon realized that food was just one aspect of life that benefitted from this type of attention and nurturing. "Slow" eventually became shorthand for a philosophy and way of life that is now applied to many activities and aspects of life, or generally as Slow Living. 

Carl HonorĂ© has written and spoken extensively about the Slow Movement, most notably in his book In Praise of Slowness. He describes how slow has been adopted and adapted around the world. Here are some of the branches of the Slow Movement:

Slow Relationships - taking time to savor, deepen, and invigorate the important relationships in your life.
Slow Sex – read above again!
Slow Exercise – combining working out with time in nature or time with friends.
Slow Hobbies – doing something that feeds your soul and helps the planet at the same time.
Slow Work – being a craftsman at what you do, and doing it in service to others.
Slow Travel – enjoying the journey, experiencing regional flavor, and restoring your mind and body, and traveling closer to home.
Slow Clothing – creatively reusing clothing as well as making your own.
Slow Parenting & Slow Families – finding ways for your children to experience the joys of free time, creativity, and deep engagement with life.
Slow Education – learning new skills that help you be more connected to your daily life: cooking, sewing, music, repairs, etc. and that help you to stretch and grow.
Slow Money – using your money wisely and toward the things that really matter and that support the well–being of yourself, others, and the planet.

The list keeps growing and includes such things as Slow Bicycles, Slow Cinema, and some of our favorites: Slow LivingSlow HomesSlow Design, and Slow Cities.

It is important to note that the Slow Movement is not about doing things slowly. It is about finding the right speed with which to do something in a way that values quality over quantity, long term benefits over short term gains, and well–being of the many over the few. In the long run, many Slow Movement proponents would argue that slow can ultimately be faster, and certainly better, as we make decisions and act in ways that are more thoughtful and considerate than purely efficiency driven processes.

One thing that isn't slow about the movement is its growth. The time for slow has arrived as people around the world look for ways to focus on the more rewarding intrinsic values of their lives that are often and otherwise overwhelmed by technology, complexity, and a 24/7 world. We invite you to jump into the world of slow and discover how you would like to slow up and enjoy the good life.



The Slow Movement - A Thoughtful Approach to Living Well

And as part of the idea of taking things slowly, we have the notion of 'travelling slow':
The Art of Slow Travel | IndependentTraveler.com
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