Slow Down, You Crazy Child
Time is precious, and we never forget that. Not even for a second. We grab bites to eat, we take accelerated courses, we run errands, we honk at slow cars, we're fast walkers, and faster talkers. Take the iPhone 3GS (the only measure of anything these days). What does S stand for? In short, we're living in a world where we've only got time for 140 characters. And sometimes, not even that.
As we sprint around life's race track, we hurdle over the rose bushes that we should be stopping to smell. Thrilling as it is, sometimes I can't help but question our species' need for speed. At some point you begin to wonder if the fast track is really worth it. It always comes down to the age-old question: 20 dollars now or 40 dollars four weeks from now? Try as we might to convince ourselves of our refined "human" tendencies, our animal instinct for instant gratification is always brimming right beneath the surface.
But consider: People who set their fork down between bites consume seventy calories less at each meal than their roadrunner counterparts. Those who read slower tend to commit more to memory than their speed-reading competition. And the best part (read: worst part) is that the fastest of us aren't even breathing correctly (being constantly on-the-go results in our breathing with short shallow breaths rather than the deeper healthy breaths that allow your stomach to come out a little with each inhalation), a cardiovascular disaster waiting to happen.
As you run out the door in the morning, speeding seems like a wonderful idea. But being pulled over for a traffic violation may cause you to reconsider. And end up being doubly late to work.
As we sprint around life's race track, we hurdle over the rose bushes that we should be stopping to smell. Thrilling as it is, sometimes I can't help but question our species' need for speed. At some point you begin to wonder if the fast track is really worth it. It always comes down to the age-old question: 20 dollars now or 40 dollars four weeks from now? Try as we might to convince ourselves of our refined "human" tendencies, our animal instinct for instant gratification is always brimming right beneath the surface.
But consider: People who set their fork down between bites consume seventy calories less at each meal than their roadrunner counterparts. Those who read slower tend to commit more to memory than their speed-reading competition. And the best part (read: worst part) is that the fastest of us aren't even breathing correctly (being constantly on-the-go results in our breathing with short shallow breaths rather than the deeper healthy breaths that allow your stomach to come out a little with each inhalation), a cardiovascular disaster waiting to happen.
As you run out the door in the morning, speeding seems like a wonderful idea. But being pulled over for a traffic violation may cause you to reconsider. And end up being doubly late to work.
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