Reducing Our Speed

Alan Watts: Why do we call life a journey and rush through it like it’s a race with a prize at the end?

We think of life as a journey … or maybe a race. Or is it a conveyor belt?

Grade school leads to high school, high school to college, college to graduate school, and then on to a job and more and more money and eventually, finally, success.

But what happens when we finally reach that “thing” we all race towards our entire lives? Do we feel any different than we did before?

We’re using the wrong metaphor, says philosopher and writer Alan Watts. “We missed the point the whole way along. It was a musical piece. You were supposed to sing or dance while the music was playing.”

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The World Institute of Slowness aims to facilitate Slow awareness around the globe.

YES! Magazine encourages you to make free use of this article by taking these easy steps.

kbailey. (2010, May 25). Reducing Our Speed. Retrieved November 16, 2010, from YES! Magazine Web site: http://www.yesmagazine.org/happiness/reducing-our-speed. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License

Recent Guest Author Articles:

• Home Is Where the Health Is: Simple Shifts for a Happier You
• Why Speed and Reliability Matter for Business Connectivity
• How Does Ultrasound Therapy Enhance Skin Firmness Without Surgery?
• From License to Lifestyle - How State Choice Impacts Nursing Journeys
• Your Online Reputation Is Everything (Here's How to Build It Fast)