You may notice how nothing is slow anymore – and you’re not alone. These days, every ounce of information we could possibly imagine is at the tip of your fingertips, and with each passing moment, even more is uploaded. In this world, to move slowly is to fall behind, but as we race to keep up with the overwhelming surplus of information, emails, deadlines, and texts, we’re combating our natural human necessity for peace and slowness. 

There is an overarching false narrative about speed. We believe it is the answer to everything – a problem solver, a goal to be accomplished. Doing everything faster feels like a good thing in a fleeting moment, but over time, what do we sacrifice? Comprehension, attention, depth, humility, among other necessities of life. 

Because of our incessantly fast lives, it’s not so easy to slow down… ever. This is where we see the importance of taking time to practice deliberate slowness. In this case, we’re discussing meditation. 

Meditation is the practice of being quiet, the practice of being still, and the practice of simply being present. It is extremely rare that we are ever given a moment where nothing is being asked of us. Rarely do we ever just exist. For many, meditation is the remedy for this. It is often used to reduce stress and anxiety, and has been shown to be connected to many different physical and mental benefits. 

Let’s pause for a moment. Take a deep breath into your low belly. What sensations do you feel? What do the clothes on your body feel like? Are you sitting, standing, laying down? Can you smell anything? What does the air around you feel like? Pay attention to any background noises you can hear. Take another deep breath. Close your eyes for a few seconds if you please. 

When our attention switches, and switches, and switches again every few seconds, we miss these things. We don’t have the mental capacity to give our attention to the present moment. Over time, we pay a large fine for keeping up with our accelerated world. 

Although it isn’t in our nature to move as quickly as the Internet does, we’re continuously training our minds to do so with the bursts of serotonin we feel every time we pick up our phone. Social media and entertainment is generated to be addictive. For the vast majority of people, this is unavoidable. This is why deliberate slowness is extremely beneficial to help our brains function in a healthy way, at a healthy speed.

References:

Hari, J. (2022). Stolen Focus. Bloomsbury Publishing Ltd.

Mayo Clinic Staff. (2022, April 29). A beginner’s guide to meditation. Mayo Clinic. Retrieved September 6, 2022, from https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/meditation/in-depth/meditation/art-20045858