When was the last time you ever truly savoured anything? Most of us are permanently in too much of a rush to ever really enjoy anything we do, see or eat. It makes us more productive but is that a always a good thing?
There is more to life than cramming in as much as possible. The more we do the less we enjoy. Life rushes by in a blur and we don’t really see or appreciate any of it.
In China the traditional way of life was described as ‘man’ (pronounced mahn). This refers to a life lived slowly, savoured, enjoyed. Anything worth doing was worth taking time over. This included everything from making and drinking tea, a true art form in China to the study of martial arts.
I learned to appreciate this when I was studying. It took a full 12 years, one cycle of the Chinese Zodiac before I was deemed qualified to teach. contrast in the West people are being ‘qualified’ in less and less time. Just 2 or 3 years, sometimes only months before they ‘earn’ a certificate to teach. So what they teach has no real depth.
Where is the value in rushing? It leads only to an early grave with little enjoyment on your way there. Westerners feel the need to take on more and more. More work, more hobbies, more responsibilities. They compete to see who is the busiest and the most worn out. Doing things slowly and taking time to rest are looked down on.
Our economy demands constant growth and we are all expected to work endlessly to provide for that economy. To keep the population working as hard as possible the system makes us believe in scarcity. We have to keep working harder and harder, faster and faster just to survive. But is that really true? Of course not.
We all have everything we need to survive. We don’t need to have a new phone, a new car or the latest gadget. Once we slow down and start to truly appreciate what we do have we come to realise that our needs are very few. It’s just that we are never allowed time to appreciate them.
Take time now to think about what you have and what it means to you. You have a home that keeps you warm and dry. If you have a car that gives you freedom and independence. You can go anywhere easily. If you have family around you that can be emotional support. Think about the other things you have and be grateful for them. What more do you really need?
Slowing down is so good for the soul. We learn to savour everything. Slow down your eating to really appreciate the food you’re putting in your mouth. Slow down your movements and really feel how your body works and balances itself. If it isn’t good at balancing then there’s no better way to teach it than by moving slowly and purposefully.
Moving more slowly requires less tension. The upper body in particular can start to hold less of its load of tension. You start to learn to be carried by your legs instead of muscles in your back and shoulders. You become sensitive to the world around you. You can feel the sun on your face and the wind on your back. Even rainfall can be a delightful experience. The only reason you don’t enjoy it is because you’ve been conditioned since you were a child not to. Slowing things down helps you break all kinds of conditioning.
So this coming year take things more easily. Slow down, smell the roses. Every part of your physical and mental health and wellbeing will benefit. Get out of the mindset of more and more, faster and faster. It gets you nowhere. Remember the concept of Man.