In Praise Of Slowness

In Praise Of Slowness

Adult nonfiction
"So at first glance, the One-Minute Bedtime series sounds almost
too good to be true. Rattle off six or seven "stories," and still
finish inside ten minutes--what could be better? Then, as I begin to
wonder how quickly Amazon can ship me the full set, redemption comes
in the shape of a counter-question: Have I gone completely insane?..."
Carl Honore, London based Canadian journalist, was skimming a
newspaper while waiting in line at an airport when he had an
epiphany. If his beloved son's bedtime storytime had become simply a
task to accomplish as quickly as possible something was not right with
his life. The lives of those around him and, for that matter, the
rest of the world, seemed similarly out of balance.
"In 1982 Larry Dossey, an American physician, coined the term
'time-sickness' to describe the obsessive belief that 'time is getting
away, that there isn't enough of it, and that you must pedal faster
and faster to keep up.' These days the whole world is time sick. We
all belong to the same cult of speed. Standing in that lineup for my
flight home to London, I began to grapple with the questions that lie
at the heart of this book: Why are we always in such a rush? What is
the cure for time-sickness? Is it possible, or even desirable to slow
down?"
In Praise Of Slowness is a must read for anyone who experiences
the symptoms of time-sickness--just about all of us. Honore takes
pains to assure us that he is no Luddite, no computer phobic yearner
from simpler days. He believes that electronics can be tamed from
dictators to servants in the search for control of and balance in our
lives. He shows us that in arenas as diverse as food and education
slow can be very good...
...and very attainable.
In Praise Of Slowness is a must acquire for public and college
libraries and a wise investment for hurried, harried households.
On a personal note, community garden members got together recently to
plant garlic and do last minute winterization. Our fearless leader,
John, had decided to cut down the tomato plants which had grown to
take over the greenhouse instead of having a mess on his hands come
spring. I had a plan. I reminded him no cutting was allowed before I
had harvested all remaining tomatoes. My chum Sam and I achieved both
tasks. We harvested 7 bags of cherry tomatoes, many of which are
ripening on my windowsills in their own due time. We gave John an
early Christmas gift by performing a task he was dreading.
A great big shout out goes out to my Orono Community Garden family,
especially my right hand man, Sam!
jules hathaway



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