Slow reading is about reading at a reflective pace.

There are many different kinds of reading, both fast and slow. Fast reading is greatly facilitated by digital technology. For a time, we thought that digital technology would replace books altogether. We were wrong about that. Print and books are more prevalent than ever. We are in the middle of a cultural shift that is still learning the proper place of digital technology. Fast information is terrific when we need a quick, rough answer, but like fast food it often leaves one hungering for something more substantial. Digital technology is terrific for finding information and reading short snippets, but print and books lend themselves to slow reading, a form of reading that is more pleasant and often is the only way to really understand a concept.

Many types of reading are improved by reading slowly: literature with rich dimensions that might be missed if read too quickly; local stories that engage our personal memories; and research materials that require sustained thought for understanding. Slow readers might only read a page or two at a time, reading and re-reading until they apprehend the experience or meaning represented in the text.

Slow readers often enjoy a sensual relationship with their information — noticing the well-selected binding, paper, illustrations and type; sub-vocalizing or reading the text aloud to hear it. Slow readers prefer books over screens, for the superior readability of paper, but also for the fixity of print. Print captures ideas and gives them a stillness that allows the reader to open deeply to them. The binding of a book captures an experience or idea at a particular space and time. When the reading is complete, you place it with satisfaction on your bookshelf.

Slow reading is an art form, a third way of reading not just for information or entertainment. The reader calls upon creative faculties and is changed in the process of reading. It has both the serious purpose of reading non-fiction to better understand things, and the playful imagination of reading fiction to see things in new ways. There is no artifact of this art form; no book, no painting, no sculpture; but like all good art, the act of slow reading exercises our imagination to develop interiority, our psychological framework.

Slow reading is a community event, restoring connections between ideas and people. The continuity of relationships through reading is experienced when we borrow books from friends; when we read long stories to our kids till they fall asleep; when we take turns reading a play aloud with our teenagers; when we share what we are reading with family and friends over dinner.

Slow reading is closely associated with the larger Slow movement and its theme of locality. Not only do we change our relationship with time, but with space too. Slow readers seek out local content, local readings and encourage micro-publishing. These acts not only provide an audience for local writers, but nurture diversity that replenishes global media when its formulaic content runs dry.

Slow readers support local libraries as a public space in the overwhelming presence of commercial space. Libraries are a shelter and turning point for those with few resources; a place for entrepreneurs to get started; a hall for public discourse among citizens interested in social change.

Slow reading is a form of resistance, challenging a hectic culture that requires speed reading of volumes of information fragments. Slow reading is therapeutic as it restores a sense of well-being. It enriches our private lives and better equips us for the world. Slow reading is recognition of the intrinsically worthy act of reading. It is good for our minds, our emotional health, our communities and planet.

Reprinted by the author, John Miedema. Originally printed at his blog. Litwin Books has just published John’s book, Slow Reading.

We just finished a 6 week book group around the amazing book, Parenting for a Peaceful World written by Robin Grille. We’ve had over a dozen such groups in the past year and I have been lucky enough to co-facilitate them with my SLow Family Living co-founder, Carrie Contey. The book details the approach to childhood throughout the ages and even delves into some of the dark periods where infanticide and abandonment were the standards. It then brings it up to modern day methods and speaks of the bridge we are on in the evolution of it all. The move from the socialized mode to the helping mode of parenting, the move from authoritarian to authoritative. It speaks of the five “rights” of childhood - the right to exist, need, freedom, want and love. It offers methods for supporting your child’s emotional intelligence and how your own childhood has influenced your emotional makeup. It’s a heady and emotional read and is definitely enhanced by being in a group.

At the end of the final session we asked what things people took away from the class, from the book and from being in the group.Below are just a few of the responses…

*The need to respect our children *The need to enjoy our children and family * The need to build strong community *The need to work on our own emotional wellness  All of these seem so simple and beautiful and elemental and after reading this all the participants seemed heart set on living in this new light.

After you read this book, you will view yourself differently - now and in your own childhood. You will approach your children more empathically and joyfully. You will see your own parents through a new (and forgiving) lens. And, though it sounds simultaneously trite and too triumphant, you will receive all of humanity in a more compassionate way. It is really that powerful.

So, whether you are a parent, or a teacher, or a politician or just interested in finding out what built your own true self, I highly recommend this book.

[I do apologize for the delay between posts, but it seems the beast that is high school had me firmly in its grasp for a few months.  Stayin’ slow isn’t always easy!]

 Most parents would like to think that their teens don’t cheat.  That they do their work honestly and faithfully.  That their eyes remain on their paper and all work is their work.

 Teens today, however, don’t quite operate that way.  If 10 students were assigned a reading assignment with discussion following it the next day, it would go something like this: 3 students wouldn’t read it all, 4 students wouldn’t read it, but WOULD read the Sparknotes/Cliffnotes/Offline Summary, and the other 3 students will actually do the assignment as intended.  I can honestly say that I fall into the category of actually reading the assignment. Shortcuts are becoming more and more appealing.  A recent study put forth by the Josephon Institute involving 100 randomly selected students from public and private schools showed that 64% of U.S. high school students have cheated on a test, 38% stating they had done so on more than one occasion.  Furthermore, 36% said they had used the Internet to plagiarize an assignment. 

 Who’s to blame for the alarmingly high statistics? Parents? Teachers? Internet? Television? Society? The easy way out is to blame us — the students.  Students are a part of the problem, but perhaps it’s the classroom that could be the problem.  Perhaps an overwhelming focus on, “what’s the answer?” as opposed to, “how did you reach that answer?” is the reason.  I attend a well-respected Private School with teachers who range from ex-NASA scientists to the Dean of Admissions and Sciences at a major state university.  At an institution that prides itself for it’s attention to detail and student understanding of the material, I have actually had a teacher say to me “It’s not important that you understand what you’re doing — just that you do it.”  I was at a loss for words.  Had I actually heard that?  I had.  There are times in life when just having the right answer is what’s required.  Yet there comes a point when you can only get so far with just the answer.  People will want to know the details. 

 And to some degree isn’t that what being slow is about; that the details often hold more weight and meaning than the big picture. 

We’re bogged down with practically unbelievable and unmanageable amounts of work!  Competition for University acceptance is worse than ever and I don’t see it getting any better.  It’s not the situation that people may want things to be in, but reality is what it is.  But maybe — just maybe being aware of what’s going on could improve where we stand.

 Cheater, cheater, pumpkin-eater?  I had enough sense as a 3 year old not to like the sound of it!  Still — for some, it does have a ring to it.  

Hi all,
I am a Graphic design student in Bournemouth, UK and I am currently doing my final major project on promoting Slow to the UK.

I have written a brief, a (rough) outcome and a manifesto to support my project. Any comments, ideas etc would really help enhance my work and would be very much appreciated. If all goes well then I will carry out this project for real so you guys could potentially get involved!

More development work will follow very soon…

Brief

The aim of this project is to introduce and establish the slow movement mentality to the UK. The Slow ideology is to create a speed bump for everyday life. The goal of this shift in speed is to make people really engage with life and their surroundings; making richer connections with loved ones and friends.

Corresponding to the new slow proposal, the aim is to tackle the taboo of the common use of the term slow. There is of course a bad slow, being lazy for example but there is also a good, considered, slow. This fresh attitude on slow is the desired message. Ultimately the aim is to get people to enjoy and appreciate life by taking a break from the everyday hustle and bustle of life.

Live Slow 2009: a manifesto

We, the undersigned, are patrons of Slow. We, the undersigned, are patrons of speed. We, the undersigned, are patrons of life. Our slow is not lazy nor do we slack or stumble. Our slow is faster than you. We are the tortoises, and you are the hare. We win the race and enjoy the journey.

Like a tortoise we are wise and we are long lasting. Our aim is to engage with life. Living is a series of experiences and connections with our environment, we engage with every aspect of living. Our connection with loved ones is stronger, deeper and richer. And our connection with our surroundings is well informed, valued and utilized.

At home our slow is taking quality time with our family. At work our slow is considered, your fast is not. Our slow is more productive. We take time to look at all angles of a problem to make the best decision.

Slow is not a derogatory word for us; we do not use it like most. Your slow is synonymous with stupid, ours is the opposite. We wish to abolish the taboo of your slow and motion for our new slow.

Your eureka must not be too late; too often an illness or incident results in a new found clarity, but we propose you slow down now! Enjoy the existence you are here to live, we urge you not to hurdle the journey of life.

Signed:

Andrew Jackson

Outcome

A regular event, perhaps monthly, weekly or even daily that would promote and practice the slow mentality.

The experience would encourage people to learn about the slow theory, sign-up to the life of slow movement and, or, raise awareness of this attitude so perhaps the masses could take elements of the slow theory and incorporate them into their everyday lives.

Promotion of this event would be through a pseudonym of a tea party, afternoon tea or simply a tea break. The tea party would be an ambassador for the slow ideology, and act as a literal participation in the slow movement. The slow theory would utilize the normality of a tea break to represent the seemingly extreme ideology of the slow movement. Tea is an international phenomenon with many recognised connotations, which are perfectly appropriate for the slow movement. William Gladstone, four times British Prime minister relays,

‘If you are cold,
tea will warm you;
if you are too heated,
it will cool you;
if you are depressed,
it will cheer you;
if you are excited,
it will calm you’

These were the words he used to advertise tea to the UK. Tea explained here is used as a remedy to solve dilemmas. Now the second most popular drink in the world, tea has a plethora of associations. Tea break, afternoon tea, and tea parties and all the other social associations made with tea are a great representation of a state of mind similar to that of Slow. The common experience of a tea break would be used as a tool to demonstrate the seemingly unfamiliar slow mentality, by taking a break and engaging greater with friends and families.

Possible event types:
Annual - ‘Tea party’ - 12hrs
Weekly - ‘Afternoon tea’ - 2hrs
Daily - ‘Tea break’ - 30mins

Since early childhood I have been gripped by the sea. Being a marine biologist - a reasonable career, I felt - was also a good excuse to be on the water or under it.

By the early 1980s, another obsession was developing: what helps ensure smooth running in nature, in what we do and in what we create? That is robustness simply put.  One simple ingredient is spending more time, not less, as efficiency fanatics would have us do.

In 1981, virtually becalmed for 55 days in the Indian Ocean, I certainly had time to think about robustness. I began to have serious doubts about modernity’s obsession with efficiency and high-tech, and reluctance to keep sufficient in reserve.

We were on a slow boat to China: ‘Sindbad voyagers’ on a replica of a 9th-century Arab sailing ship. In the damp and salty conditions, one by one Sohar’s few electronic gadgets failed.  The aids were partly to verify the ancient navigational methods being tested.

Out on the ocean, high-tech is not necessarily best.  Equally, slow-tech can be no bad thing.

A century or more back, pilot cutters ventured from sheltered waters for the open Atlantic.  Their purpose: to escort incoming shipping through the hazardous shallow waters to the safety of port, winter or summer.  Pilot cutters were seaworthy, reliable and fast … if it was blowing hard.

But it is not just their stout construction, or kindly sea-motion, that makes pilot cutters so safe, appealing … and robust.  More subtle forces, paradoxically, also come to bear.  Because of their old-fashioned features - straight stem, long keel etc. - these boats can actually steer themselves, unassisted.  Without anyone stood at the helm, or an auto-pilot, they just keep sailing.  These boats manage to hold their course, simply with the helm lashed; surely a worthwhile boat trait?

Modern yachts are indisputably faster and more responsive.  But because of their lighter construction and flighty behaviour, they will not so easily stay on course unless, of course, steered manually or by an auto-pilot.

But that’s not all.  Perhaps nothing illustrates more forcefully the remarkable ability of a vessel - especially traditional sailing craft - to chill out when confronting the stormy seas.  It is a slow-tech, safety measure called ‘heaving to’, and it amounts to sailing-but-stalled.

Once in that state, with the helm lashed, a boat can be left more or less left to its own devices.  (It involves having the sails on opposite sides, instead of on the same side, and with the boat lying about fifty degrees from the wind.)  In one story, skipper and crew simply went below deck in their Bristol Channel pilot cutter… to play Scrabble and bide time until the weather abated.

What’s more, heaving to also has a calming effect on the sea, not just on the crew.  By drifting ever so slowly, the keel actually creates its own smooth slick of water, on which the boat safely perches and bobs. Yet metres beyond, the seas boil in anger.  According to US yachtsmen and writer Larry Pardy, heaving to may be the ultimate survival strategy for impending hurricane-force winds

The final twist to this tale of chilling out is that slowing down by heaving to can also allow the storm to pass by.

One thing that I love about working in the ‘birth business’ is that I don’t have a structured schedule. Mine is more like a feast or famine schedule - no babies for two weeks, then BAM! four babies in three days. It certainly makes for an entertaining life.

Babies come whenever they like, and they always seem to come in a clump. Yes, a clump. “Group” would be the wrong word. A group feels orderly, predictable. But a clump - well, that sounds like just the right word for how babies arrive in the world. They seem to get a signal that NOW! is the time, and they all come in a clump, all jumbled together, jostling for position.

I attended five births the other week - five glorious, slow births. These babies didn’t watch the clock (neither did their mums and dads and caregivers), and certainly didn’t concern themselves about my lack of sleep. These babies came in their own time - one gently in the water, one with her mum’s feet firmly planted on the ground, and a few with grand flourishes. But, they all came at their own pace - slowly, deliberately, safely. These babies taught us patience, and more than a few hard lessons.

So, when this recent clump had all arrived, I jumped at a chance to go with my husband on an impromptu visit to a small island close to our home. I didn’t have any babies due for a week or two, so I could breathe easy, and run away.

We walked onto the ferry as the sun set, and, fifty minutes later, walked off the ramp into the darkness, carrying our backpacks. We didn’t know exactly where the local Inn was, but the clerk had said, “You’ll find it.” We followed a woman who was pulling a suitcase on wheels, jittering over the rough road, hoping that she was going to the Inn. We might have been following her to her cabin, but we didn’t mind. We were living slowly.

Sure enough, she drew us through wrought-iron gates to the Galiano Inn, complete with cedar shakes, tall tree posts, and, through the door to a vaulted space with a stone fireplace. We had arrived.

The next morning, we woke up to see the sun rise over Mount Baker, watched the large ferries plough through Active Pass, and laced up our boots for the day’s walk. We had left our car, and our bikes, at home, opting for an even slower pace around the island. After breakfast, we walked to the Bluffs, explored the cedar forests, waved at llamas, watched the eagles soar, checked out the local organic food store, and, 15 miles later, returned to the Inn for a good soak and a read (about the Camino de Santiago de Compostela.)

The other people staying at the Inn spent their time in the spa having hot stone massages and facials. But, that’s not our style. So, we told the clerk that we’d be hiking to Montague Harbour. She had a quick intake of breath, “Oh, there’s some wicked hills! You’re walking? Really?” Being a mapmaker’s daughter, and daring enough to interpret those lines on the map, I took a guess and said, “Let’s head clockwise. I bet there’ll be less hills that way.”

Boy, am I glad we didn’t go the other way!!!

As it was, the hills were still a challenge. But, we just kept in mind that we were on foot, and not grinding our way up those hills on our bikes (or on the Santiago de Compostela pilgrimage!) We had time to stop, think, listen to the wind in the trees, watch the misty rain fall, feel it on our faces, wrap our scarves more tightly, gaze at the sandstone cliffs and the erratics at their feet. It took two hours to hike to the harbour, where we ate caraway cheese and stone fennel crackers on the shell beach. We didn’t meet any other pilgrims on our trail, just a lone cyclist on a 40 degree hill, pretending to be Lance Armstrong on Mont Ventoux.

After four hours on the hike, we could feel each muscle working to keep us going. No pain, just good hard work. Our legs seemed to work independently, keeping pace with each other. We held hands at times. We tucked out hands in our pockets when we needed. Then we saw the rain heading our way. It came as a mist bank, white and blanketing the hills. We knew there was a pot of tea close by, at the Market Cafe, and reached the cafe just as the downpour started. A roaring fire, four throbbing legs, two cups of tea, and chocolate. Slow hike rewards!

An hour passed, and the rain softened. We ran across the street to the locals’ trail to Sturdies Bay, only two kilometres away. This was our third passage of this trail, so we felt like we knew its secrets already, knew where the fern grove was, where the boggy sections were, where the people were gathering firewood, where we needed to take small steps to easily climb the steep sections. We felt like we belonged.

At the end of the trail, and around the corner, we treated ourselves to a visit to the local bookstore. It’s one of those places that has reviews glued to the shelves - “John’s pick”, “Jennie’s favourite”. I bought “French Toast: eating and laughing your way around France.” My husband bought “The Wisdom of Donkeys: finding tranquility in a chaotic world.” Two slow life books.

Later that night, after we’d left the island by ferry, and arrived home, fully refreshed, the stragglers of the baby clump decided to arrive. Two babies came over the next three days, one after the other. We’d only been home for five minutes when the first phone call came. “Jacquie, I think the baby’s coming!”

I smiled, changed out of my hiking boots, put on my birth gear, and headed out into the night. I loved our Slow Escape, but I also love Slow Birth (and those unpredictable clumps of babies!)

- Jacquie Munro, Slow Birth

Twitter, a now quickly expanding number of people consider it a gift from heaven. Face it: sooner or later you are fed up with blogging. Having to read and write 10 sentences over and over again, it just starts to get at you doesn’t it? If you are gifted with the attention span of a Flibbertigibbet, having to concentrate that much is a physical hurt. Twitter then, is the solution. For those few, other-worldly hermits that still are not initiated: we are dealing with a massively popular system on the Internet in which you use a maximum of 140 characters to tell something to the outside world. You can also use SMS or your smartphone. Others can subscribe – as followers - to these ‘tweets’ and vice versa.

At its best , Twitter is a magnificent tool for the corporate, collaborative worker of today to effectively stay in touch with a true ecosystem of people, knowledge, insights and events. While tweeting (possibly through a company-restricted variant like Yammer) you find just as easy lightning-fast answers to focused questions as links to new, interesting sources of information. And by carefully calibrating the list of people that you follow, the social network around you becomes more and more valuable.

At its worst however, Twitter happily deteriorates into a universe of randomly chattering, megalomaniac ADHD professionals. Shallowness, straight from the goblet of Total Nothing. Purely for professional reasons, I decided to indulge myself for a few days without any restrictions and filtering in this world of virtual chit-chat. Eventually, I ended up staring agitatedly at the screen, my hollow eyes waiting for the next tweet to arrive. And it never was further away than a few seconds. Another 140 characters to read, another discussion to follow, another subject to have an opinion about, another link to click on. Sometimes, an interesting topic would rush by. More often, it would be of a lamenting irrelevance. Somebody opens up a can of beer. Another tells me every three minutes what song he is playing. A third apparently throws every new thought on Twitter, probably to secure it for eternity. A fourth feels no shame at all in sharing private conversations, lunch dates and the most intimate coaching sessions.

At last, I was able to liberate myself from this maelstrom of tweets. After having some supplementary feeding and a long night of sleep, I could carefully try to read the complete front page of a paper without interruption. Outside, the sun finally announced spring. Then I heard a blackbird sing.

It was the most beautiful sound in the world.

The core focus of this site and Slow movements generally is about slowing down, taking time to do things well and to savour things. But it takes some courage to admit that the fast pace of life today doesn’t suit you, that you don’t necessarily want everything faster, bigger, better, now if not yesterday.

When you’re moving fast, through life in general or just in the day to day, slowness is your enemy. Think of all the huffing and puffing commuters rushing through your Underground station today, pushing and shoving… the heaving mass of movement that is impossible to move slowly in, without feeling innate pressure to just move - you must move or become some a sort of speed bump. Sometimes the same applies to the rest of life too.

There is a pressure to conform to an implicitly agreed pace of things and the workplace is no exception. Despite having read In Praise of Slow and wholeheartedly agreed to change my Blackberry addicted ways many years ago, I found myself caught up in the fast-paced rat race yet again. It’s commonly known as working in the City of London.

Whether it’s said out loud or no, the expectation is that most City workers are almost constantly working, all day, much of the night and certainly reading and responding to emails from door to door. My ability to walk whilst emailing became exceptional, although there was that one nasty incident with the near miss and the big red bus, but that became a running joke amongst my colleagues - ’she died doing what she loved’ would’ve been the cry.

Most of my former colleagues are still living life at that frenetic pace. Even more so now that the threat of redundancy and never ending rounds of job losses becomes more real. There is a sense of being seen to be busy, move quickly and don’t let ‘them’ catch you, lest you are next for the chop.

I count myself as one of the lucky ones, getting out just before the big waves of redundancy that have since shaken the City. There is a certain pleasure in having chosen to leave, rather than being told to leave, but that feeling only lasts for so long, and it’s certainly no use when it comes to paying the bills. Eventually, inevitably, I will have to go back to reality and get a real job.

Having worked in the online industry for most of my career, I am used to being expected to move at break-neck speed. Because the internet is such an immediate medium, there is an expectation (albeit an unrealistic one) that things can change and move almost instantaneously. That expectation, coupled with the City work ethic and increasingly fewer resources made for incredibly long days, working most weekends and stretching myself as much as possible to meet all the demands of my time.

The challenge now stands to find a job within that environment, meeting those expectations, without reverting back to the bad old ways. Is it actually possible to maintain a Slow attitude within an industry that expects everything to move quickly? Is there a certain frenetic activity that’s required in order to keep up appearances, regardless of whether it’s actually contributing anything to the end goal?

And how does one go about finding a job that might allow for the Slow approach? Can you filter jobs out that require constant Blackberrying? Can one refuse a Blackberry on day one at a new job? Only time can tell.

The whole approach to finding a job has changed and continues to move quickly. While networking over a leisurely coffee or two is still a viable option, the number of ways to find roles seems to have increased exponentially, even in the last few months. Job searches have been conducted primarily online for some time now, but even this is changing and moving quickly. If you’re not on Linkedin or Twitter, you will be missing out on job opportunities that are only being referenced there. And how long is too long to wait to apply. I am disregarding any jobs older than a day or two. God help any Luddites looking for a job - they’re probably still hand-writing letters.

So wish me luck. And patience. For while the world is moving ever faster, the approach of recruitment agencies seems to have remained unchanged - don’t call us, we’ll call you.

Prior to clarify the issue let me introduce myself. My name is Marcelo Bohrer and I am the creator of the Nothingism Club, an organization that has been promoting meetings to the practice of nothingnism all around the Brazil since 2006.

In August 2008 I was in London conducting the first international meeting of the Club. There I had the pleasure to know Carl, whose work pro-slow I admired. It was a great pleasure to exchange ideas with him about this crazy and hectic world, and how many people are looking for ways to find natural rhythm and balance in modern life.

In Brazil where I live is no different from most of the world. People always live racing, engaged in a hurry and complaining of lack of time. Therefore the levels of stress are alarming! Researches show that it reaches almost 70% of the population. I couldn’t ignore these statistics. After some years working under high stress as a designer and entrepreneur, I faced a burnout. However, with this shock, a great desire to find a way to change the situation came.

After further investigation of the problem I discovered what I believe must be the center issue. We are so addicted to always do more and faster that we forget how to turn it down. Plus, we don’t know how to stop and remain without something to do. This is not by chance. This is because doing nothing is seen as something derogatory, useless, a waste of time in current culture! And if “time is money”, whoever want to lose it?

Thus, I had the idea to create the Nothingism Club, an event where people can devote some time especially for doing nothing, without haste and without guilt.

The idea is simple but bold: do nothing is also seize the time!

From the moment people become aware of the importance of those pause moments, they realize that they’re very precious and essential for a good life.

This is the Nothingism: enhance the moment to do anything.

How about starting to enjoy beautiful moments of Nothingism?

You have that right!

Best regards!

Marcelo Bohrer

If you want to know more about the project please visit:

www.clubedenadismo.com.br

www.nothingismclub.com

Você sabe o que é nadismo?

Antes de esclarecer a questão, permitam-me me apresentar. Me chamo Marcelo Bohrer e sou o criador do Clube de Nadismo, uma organização que há dois anos promove encontros para a prática do nadismo pelas capitais do Brasil.

Em agosto de 2008 estive em Londres para realizar o primeiro encontro internacional do Clube. Lá tive o prazer de conhecer o Carl, cujo trabalho pró-slow eu já admirava. Foi uma grande satisfação poder trocar idéias com ele sobre este mundo doido e corrido, e sobre como muitas pessoas estão buscando formas de reencontrar na vida moderna o ritmo natural e o equilíbrio.

No Brasil onde moro não é diferente de grande parte do mundo. As pessoas vivem sempre correndo, ocupadas, com pressa e reclamando de falta de tempo. Por isso os níveis de stress são alarmantes! Pesquisas apontam que ele chega a atingir quase 70% da população e eu não consegui escapar dessas estatísticas. Depois de alguns anos trabalhando como designer e consultor criativo e vivendo sob stress elevado, acabei enfrentando um burnout. Entretanto, com este susto, surgiu uma grande vontade de encontrar uma forma de mudar a situação.

Investigando mais profundamente a questão descobri o que talvez seja o principal problema. Estamos tão viciados em sempre fazer mais e mais rápido que esquecemos como desligar. Não sabemos mais como parar e ficar sem algo para fazer. Isto porque, na cultura atual, fazer nada é visto como algo depreciativo, é ser inútil, é perder tempo! E, se “tempo é dinheiro”, quem quer perdê-lo?

Foi assim que tive a idéia de criar o Clube de Nadismo, um evento onde as pessoas podem dedicar um tempo especialmente para fazer nada, sem pressa e sem culpa.

A idéia é simples mas ousada: fazer nada também é aproveitar o tempo!

Então, a partir do momento em que a pessoa toma consciência disso ela passa a dar importância aos momentos de pausa, passa a perceber que eles são muito preciosos e que são essenciais para o bem viver.

Isso é o nadismo: valorizar os momentos para se fazer nada.

Que tal começar a curtir belos momentos de nadismo?
Você também tem esse direito!

Grande abraço!
Marcelo Bohrer

Se você já quiser saber mais a respeito do projeto acesse: www.cludenadismo.com.br www.nothingism.com

Lately, I’ve been working with children who have severe forms of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. The most significant fact I’d like to point out about the illness is that it has a 100% mortality rate, there is no known cure. Ultimately, it degenerates your muscles and your heart slowly gives out - majority of its victims never see their 21st birthday.

Running a research facility is one of the most rewarding accomplishments in my life, as well as the most horrific and I was reminded of that harshly these past few weeks. The patients who I had been dealing with were children, all of whom were under the age of 15.

Each one had a story to tell, but one child in particular named Peter, hit me deep. Within a matter of minutes, this nine year old boy made me feel the highest level of happiness imaginable, to the coldest and darkest sadness we all should never desire to feel.

No more than a week ago, Peter came into the hospital knowing that he wouldn’t be leaving. As he sat in his hospital bed watching the end of Finding Nemo, I scooched him over and hoped a distracting comfort would warm him. After listening to him talk about his day and other random funny stories, I had to ask him in all seriousness, “How can you not be afraid of dying? You’re only nine years old.”. It was almost as if he expected me to ask this with the look on his face, he smiled and said:

Every time a good child dies, an angel of God comes down to earth. He takes the child in his arms, spreads out his great white wings, and flies with it all over the places the child loved on earth. The angel plucks a large handful of flowers, and they carry it with them up to God, where the flowers bloom more brightly than they ever did on earth.

The last thing he said to me before I left the room was, ”Don’t ever forget to slow down and take care of what matters most to you.”.  

A few moments later I was standing at the door, watching his family gather ’round to put him to sleep for the last time. His mother gently smoothing is hair like any mother with her newborn, singing a quiet hymn. I can only imagine what was running through her mind at that moment.

If you’re looking for a message with this post, it’s to spend as much time with your kids as you make yourself available for them. Even as they have temper tantrums, fight with one another, and even as they yell those dreaded words “I hate you! Leave me alone!”, tell them you love them and mean it. Myself being a pain-in-the-ass seventeen year old, may I remind you that as your children get older, they don’t mind hearing it as well.

Sometimes the simple words of a nine year old echo more clearly, than the most beautiful and famous words of Shakespeare. Peter got it. He understood that life is what you make of it. At the age of nine, he never had left his state, rarely left his town, yet seemed to be happy. All of these dying children were so damn happy -some of them have never left a hospital. There was never a moment when one would complain about life being boring or unfair. The atmosphere was simple, a place were inspiration bloomed, anything was possible, no dream was shot down. So you have to ask yourself…why not us? Why can’t we all have simple lives where we’re surrounded by good feelings? If you’re thinking that it’s because these kids had limited time…well, so do you. You don’t know when you’ll die - we’re all dying; health is just the slowest rate at which one can die. This isn’t meant to be dark, it’s just the truth. So, why not dream big and then act on it? Why only pay closer attention to our children when they’re sick versus healthy? I’m not sure either, we all have opinions, but our drive is different with each one of us. Maybe right now would be a good time to think about what we want, what we need, how we can help one another. How do you want to be remembered?

A good way to start finding your authentic self is to pay attention to what you dream about when you sleep or what you do when no one is around. Thoreau himself put it ever so simply, “Our truest lives are when we are in dreams awake.”.

Have at it.