Chapter 5, part 12, Slow the F#$k Down!

The last blog I wrote was about how senseless it is to rush all day just so that you can get home to relax for a 1 hour yoga session. Presence belongs in the now otherwise you are spending 23 hours a day of your life waiting for that yoga class on the odd chance that you’re not too tired. Planned presence is not presence. It’s the opposite of presence.

There was a story I heard a long time ago about rushing. It had to do with a bunch of college students that finished one class and had to run across a garden to get from one building to the other. This was so they could get to the next class on time. One day there was an experiment being played on these students. It involved an actor who pretended to be homeless and have a heart attack in the garden whilst the students were going between classes. They watched to see who stopped and who didn’t.

The results from the above experiment came back pretty clear. Those that stopped weren’t necessarily the most empathetic or best trained to handle the situation. No, most of those that stopped were the ones that weren’t rushing between buildings.

I am sure there have been moments in your life where you wish you would have aided someone, although you decided not to help because you were too busy or you were running too late. This is selective focus and we all do it. It is therefore reasonable to say that when we are rushing we are less likely to be kind, have patience for others and be tolerable. It also means that we are more prone to be frustrated and to make mistakes whilst not being in the mind-frame to be mindful, present or relaxed.

So slow the F#$k down! Your heart, your body and your blood pressure will thank you for it. Furthermore you may actually enjoy life rather than seeing it pass you by. It’s that worth slowing down for?