TED Talks · How to slow down

Slow

Before we go any further, let's define what we mean by slow. Being slow with a capital S means doing everything at the right speed,

Level: A2 · 31 sentences

Transcript

1. Before we go any further, let's define what we mean by slow.
2. Being slow with a capital S means doing everything at the right speed,
3. doing everything not as fast as possible, but as well as possible.
4. A very simple idea, but one with the power to revolutionize everything you do.
5. That's why there are now movements to slow us down in every field of human endeavor.
6. Think slow food.
7. slow sex, slow parenting, and so on.
8. Of course, all these movements run into the taboo against slowness that goes so deep in our culture.
9. The belief that slow equals lazy, boring, unproductive, stupid.
10. This taboo means that even when we yearn to slow down,
11. we don't do it because we feel guilty, ashamed, afraid.
12. Breaking any taboo can be hard.
13. But hard is not the same as impossible.
14. Look what happened with COVID-19.
15. The whole world slowed down.
16. At first, many people chafed against the great deceleration.
17. They found it painful, even depressing.
18. But over time, a strange shift happened.
19. Some adjusted to the slower pace, embraced it even.
20. They took up slower hobbies like cooking and art.
21. long walks with loved ones became a cherished ritual.
22. Some even found a new happiness and decided that slower living might become a choice.
23. The good news is you don't need a pandemic to make that choice for you.
24. Anyone can choose to have a slow mindset, even people who are type A.
25. Take me, for instance.
26. I walk fast and talk fast.
27. I play fast sports like hockey and squash.
28. I thrive on the energy of big cities, and I love the buzz of a good deadline.
29. But I have also learned how to slow down.
30. I have reconnected with my inner tortoise.
31. And if I can do it, anyone can.