Quote Originally Posted by Tybee View Post
It almost sounds like you are using "slowing down" to mean focusing on the main thing and reducing distractions?
That's definitely part of it. It's more of an attitude, though, a mind-shift. That's why I want to make it a cornerstone of achieving a different sort of life outside of the mainstream American culture, where everything is push-push-push..

I read a really interesting article about a study that showed that back around the time that Veblen wrote "The Theory of the Leisure Class" the thought was that because of labor-saving devices of the Industrial Age, the "rich" would have time for leisure, and this leisure time would be the new status symbol of the upper crust. Ironically, today, it doesn't matter how much money you have---today's status symbol is busy-ness--bragging about how much work you have. Because now, the status symbol is how much the workplace/world at large values your contributions.

So slowing down entails ascrificing that "virtue", that status symbol for a more internal aspiration.

Tying together all these thoughts has been very elusive, but it's about making a slow, intentional life a way to say "I'm rejecting the mainstream culture's values".. and the way to do it is by re-engineering your work life, your family life, and the way you contribute to society.