The Hurried Life
Dear Friends,
I noticed myself walking very quickly back to my office the other day and caught myself. “Why was I in such a hurry?” and “When did I start living at such a fast pace?”
I could think of nothing in particular happening to cause my hurry, just the usual: emails to get back to, work to attend to … but why the sense of rush?
Eckhart Tolle describes suffering as believing “the next moment must be more important than this one.”
We think:
“This moment, it really does not deserve much of my attention, but this ‘next moment’ that will really be something. I just need to hurry up and get there!”
Life is a continual seeking of “the next moment.”
Of course, breakfast needs to be made, kids need to be picked up, work needs to be attended to … AND what is life but a series of moments? As John Lennon put it, “Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans.”
Our invitation today, it seems, is to learn to slow down.
“There are only two instructions we need to follow to develop and deepen our spiritual life: slow down and let go." — Oriah Mountain Dreamer
A 2022 survey by the American Psychological Association found that 34% of U.S. adults feel completely overwhelmed by stress on most days.
This is the world we are increasingly creating!
I am not saying there are NEVER times to hurry, but a life of hurry is extremely hard. I for one am going to take Lily Tomlin’s advice: "For fast-acting relief, try slowing down."
I know there are times to hurry, but I am not sure anything truly valuable has been created from a place of hurry, of thinking the next moment holds what this moment does not.
Blessings,
SOREN
Jon Kabat-Zinn is our guest tomorrow at our monthly series on Stillness Within: Cultivating Presence in Uncertain Times. By donation.
And social philosopher Daniel Schmachtenberger joins Dick Schwartz and myself this afternoon for our series on Personal and Social Change.
I can relate to what you wrote, Soren! I find myself hurrying, all tensed up, and when I become aware that I am tense and rushed.... I s l o w down a bit. Thank you for this!
In a world that measures by faster and better, I think it’s a superpower now to slow down and be intentional. It has to be the antidote to a hurried life. Thanks for sharing!