Full of life, racing everything and the ultimate slow down

22 February

‘Time is money,’ say so many people these days. That has led to the pace of life has increased hugely over the years. It can be seen daily as we go about our lives. Driving at the posted speed limit will upset the driver behind who wants to race around. Stopping at a red traffic light will often see drivers ignoring them and racing off to get ahead as if those few minutes are the means that a life time deal will be lost. Drivers pushing past you just to get one more vehicle ahead; and then you watch as they do the same time after time. I wonder why it is so important.

Watching movies doesn’t help. So many of them flash from scene to scene in an effort to keep things ‘moving’. Why? It makes my eyes ache. TV presenter for programmes for young people keeping moving around in a circle; again, why? How does it improve the telling of the story? I pity the camera operator who has to walk further and might perhaps even get dizzy because of it. But it does give the image of always being on the go, not being idle, living life to the full. Fast food is there for the asking; no time to make a meal, a sandwich and a coffee from Starbucks shows how busy you are.

Yet being conned into this hectic, non-stop life style leaves so many people drained, unfulfilled and depressed. Stress builds up, everything is done just to bug and delay just you, and anger builds up. A driver cuts in front of you, and that’s it, you snap and roar off in pursuit to get past them. You try to overtake on bend; you are suddenly blinded by bright lights straight in your eyes, a horn sounds angrily. They are the last things you see and hear. Death comes slowly, painfully, as you lie on the grass beside an upturned car. Blackness arrives, pain stops.

All of this because you have jumped on the band wagon of ‘I want it ten minutes ago!’ Friends and colleagues can’t believe what has happened; ‘He was so full of life,’ they say. And yet, so are they full of life. Do they learn from your example? It is doubtful that any lasting lessons are learned. The pace of life increases continue; more stress, more depression, more prescriptions, more mental breakdowns, more deaths and the words ‘He was so full of life,’ are repeated … … …

Where did all this come from you might be wondering? Well, there’s a social network site called Streetlife and I registered for it some time ago. The other day I read something on there about people jumping red traffic lights and that perhaps there should be cameras on them to prevent it. Well, speed cameras don’t prevent speeding do they? So would cameras stop drivers jumping the lights? No, the only way is for everyone to slow down, and is something that won’t happen with so many people in a rush to do everything.

Today’s photo … 

A palace to slowing down.

Today’s funny …

Two farmers were sitting next to each other. One says to the other, “I have such a big farm I could climb in my truck, and it would take me two days to get across the whole farm!” The other farmer turns back to him and replies, “I also used to have a truck like that!”