Why We Need To Slow Down

Likely, when you think about the possibility of living in New York, you have one of two reactions: ‘Yes, please!’ or ‘No! Never.’ The frenzy of New York City has its plusses and its minuses.

The pulse of the city is contagious. It makes you feel as if you are a part of something bigger than yourself. It shoots energy through your veins.

On the other hand, it can zap you, overloading your energy. It can make you feel lost and alone in the crowd.

Either way, New York City is a place of momentum

Last week, I was standing at the corner of Church and Chambers in downtown Manhattan, near my office. The light was taking “forever” to change and the people near me were getting antsy. A deliver guy on a bike cursed and muttered under his breath. A guy in a suit checked his watch several times as if skeptical it was working properly. I was tapping my foot impatiently as well.

People love and hate New York for its momentum.

Momentum is powerful and dangerous. If our momentum is heading in a positive direction, a path that matches our passions and our identity, a fulfilling, joy-filled life is impossible to avoid. On the other hand, if our momentum is in a negative or neutral direction, it can be very difficult to stop it and find our way back on course.

Most New Yorkers, and indeed, most humans, mistakenly believe that frenzy and forward motion are always indicators of productivity. We prefer being lost to being still.

The result? Life is full of impatient rushing. We feel in a hurry, unsatisfied, rushed. We wear our business like a badge of honor, as if having-no-free-time is a purpose in and of itself.

As I stood on the corner of Church and Chambers with my fellow New Yorkers, I took a moment to evaluate where I was going. Both literally and metaphorically.

The value of a Transcendent There is that it puts a true purpose to our frenzy (and, therefore, to our pauses). We try to silence our sensed meaninglessness by overwhelming it with noise. We move so that we don’t have to think, rather than moving out of intentional thinking.

A Transcendent Vision tethers us to purpose. It staples us to something unwavering so that when the seasons blow and the stoplight changes, we do not get blown back and forth in the wave of frenzy. It keeps us from drowning in the undertow.