In Praise of Slowness

Carl Honore

Vocabulary

• Fast-forward• Race against the clock• Tender (tender moment)• Soundbyte• The jury is out• Bang for your buck• ‘To unplug’

Vocabulary

• Burn out• To put on the brakes• Slacker• Taboo• Litmus test• Hollywood ending

Two main questions:

• How did our world get so fast?

• Can we slow down?

Explain/discuss

• What is the irony in promoting a book on ‘slowing down.’

• These days even instant gratification takes too long.

• Speed yoga• Fast life vs good life• ‘road runner culture’

Explain/discuss

• Urbanization, technology, consumerism• How we view time: cyclical vs linear (east vs

west)• Use time or lose time• Time is money• Busier is best• Slow down = road kill

Explain/discuss

• International slow movement• Slow food movement• More pleasure and health from our food when

we cultivate, cook and consume at a reasonable pace

• Slow cities movement• Rethink how to organize urban landscape.

Explain/discuss

• Slowness has a role to play in the 21st century• Medicine• Alternative forms of medicine, i.e.

Acupuncture• Workplace• Productivity can go up• Kick ass economy without being a workaholic

Explain/discuss

• Workers need to take breaks, unplug, recharge• Education• More homework, more activities• Adolescents are getting burned out• Homework bans• Less can be more• No homework for children under age 13

Explain/discuss

• Caliber of students coming to elite universities is decreasing

• They lack spark, they don’t dream• Put on the brakes

Why is it so hard to slow down?

• Speed if fun• Fill our heads with business• Culture against slow: lazy, slacker, stupid• ‘bad slow’ vs ‘good slow’• Slow down and savor your life

Reaction to the book

• Corporate world is starting to take notice• The lost art of shifting gears• Not just in developed world, developing world• Well we like that aspect of the west, but we’re

not so sure about the rest.

• Is it possible to slow down? YES

Carl’s personal slowdown

• I enjoy the buzz and business of London life• My inner tortoise• I no longer overload myself gratitously• I feel happier, healthier• Feel like im living my life rather than racing through

it• My relationships are deeper, better• Children operate their own rhythm, they open up at

particular times

Telling story to his son

• Explain how telling his son a bedtime story changed his perception of time.

• How did it change his perception of the experience of reading to his son?