Wednesday 17 June 2015

SPEED KILLS

No surprise that I am a fan of slowness.

Better to cycle than drive. Better to run than to cycle. Better to walk than to run. Better to stroll than to walk. Better yet to stand still.

As people rush through their lives, there is an increasing awakening to the value of slowing down. I read in a magazine the other day "stillness has become the ultimate luxury".

On local roads I see warning notices stating Speed Kills. I used to joke that it wasn't the speed that would kill you, but the rather sudden stop afterwards.

I think there are other ills and kills than road deaths which can be attributed to speed. Take crime, for example. I think you can attribute a lot of crime - maybe even all of it - to haste. Theft - the urge to enrich more speedily than labouring for it. Fraud - ditto. Violence - product in the main of hot, speedy reactions. Rape - a clear violation of someone else's pace. There is an argument to be made that even the most planned crime is the product of a failure to take the time needed to see its very long range consequences. And there is a very strong sense in my mind that a lot of people become criminals, not because they are inherently evil, or even especially immoral, but because they didn't go slow enough to really think about what they were doing. Many, many crimes are the product of poor processing in this way.Slowness would be preventative, and can be curative too. When vipassana - a ten day silent sitting meditation retreat - has been introduced to serving prisoners in prison, it virtually eradicates their recidivism.

Likewise, blame, which often has a strong relationship to criminal, or immoral action. It is understandable that in many situations, the first recourse is to blame others. But it is slow thought of the action which reveals to us our own part in matters, our own responsibility levels, and the moral, self responsible answer, taking an appropriate amount of responsibility - no less, no more.

Speed is characteristic of conflict. The higher the conflict levels in groups, the faster the talk. A lesson I learned, as a facilitator, is the productivity of slowing down communication, to ensure that its critical element of listening is present.

But I am up for learning too. I'm as ready as anyone to get stuck in, when the conflict is personal.  A few weeks ago I met an innovator. A rare bird. Someone not given to talking about the problems, but of actually proposing solutions. I was impressed. He proposed a devastatingly simple protocol. When someone has finished speaking, there shall be a silence of thirty seconds before the next speaker. Its effect was electric, respectful, loving. I have no hesitation in stealing it for my own use. No. Hang on. I'll sleep on that.



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