Slow Living: Choosing an Unhurried Life

When people talk about their lives, often they describe a life characterized by qualities previously valued only in industrial contexts: speed, efficiency, productivity, and multiple moving parts. People are busy, and while they might complain about it, they also can’t imagine life otherwise.

The idea of margins, of generous space for engaging life, seems to have vanished from our vision, and instead we nurse a bitter cup of guilt and anxiety when we aren’t "making a difference."

What do religious and spiritual traditions have to say about this? How can we make room within ourselves for peace, for slow and careful appreciation of life? How do our traditions help us attune ourselves within to slowness? What internal practices and foci help us slow down?