As a society, we like to move fast. We try to complete a task as promptly as possible. We try to complete our degree as quickly as we can. We try to get hired and then professionally excel as soon as we can.
But what happens if you slow down?
American culture especially has a constant foot on the gas pedal. We’re obsessed with how quickly we can get our products and services on the market, grow our following, and more.
The culture and economy of the U.S. embodies Newton’s 1st Law of Motion. Constantly in motion and with no sign of stopping. Until pandemonium struck. Many, if not most Americans were faced with a slower paced lifestyle when COVID-19 reached our country. Required lockdowns put people in their homes with nowhere to go and enough free time to get anyone in trouble.
As days, then weeks, then months passed by, time truly became nothing more than a construct. You completed tasks if you absolutely had to, or you didn’t. The nation as a whole was grieving a lifestyle lost and trying to figure out how to move forward. While there is still not a cohesive plan for what life looks like “post-pandemic”, some people are doing their best to adapt and others are clinging to any shred of the old normal they can find.
What would happen if we took advantage of this nation-wide slow down and applied what we’ve learned and experienced going forward?
How could we benefit from stopping, and taking a second look?
The easiest place to see how this change could have a profound effect would be social media, which truly embodies a fast paced lifestyle. While many sites feature accounts with carefully curated profiles, other accounts are used to fire off (often uncensored) thoughts. Such unadulterated content gives off the vibe that the user isn’t afraid to speak their mind, and they have little concern with how they will be perceived.
While this rapid, “uncensored” content can be hard hitting, it can also lead to negative consequences. Many public figures and entities who post messages like these often come under fire for being insensitive and uninformed. An apology is then issued, and the public decides the fate of said person or entities’ popularity.
Of course, nuance abounds, and rarely does the entirety of the public agree on what is insensitive and what is not.
If even just one moment had been taken, where that creator had stopped and educated and edited, or stopped and weighed the potential consequences, how would that change the messaging we see in our newsfeeds and inboxes? Since people spend so much time online, how would that affect the general population?
And then if we applied that same process to our everyday decisions, how would that change our lifestyles? Or our frame of mind?
A beautiful example can be taken from authors. Rarely is a book (of any kind) written in a day. Or even a week, or even a month. Sometimes it takes years. Before a book reaches it’s final draft, there are several writes and rewrites. There are edits upon edits. Time is taken to truly craft the story into it’s potential before it reaches audiences.
By no means should we censor ourselves on topics we feel passionately about. Instead, may we take the time to write and rewrite. May we stop, and think before we speak; consider before we tweet. May we see the benefits of just simply taking more time.
