As I begin to pen my very first words for Slow Planet a curious event is unfolding here in Norway.

My initial assignment was to write about what it is like to set up a small business from my home in the forests of southern Norway in this ever accelerating world, but alas, something far more fascinating has caught my attention; Slow television of Slow Travel.

As I am writing this Norway’s leading national network is nearing the end of the world’s longest and slowest broadcast ever. Minute by minute they have dedicated a whole channel to the live broadcast of Hurtigruten’s voyage from Bergen on the south-west coast of Norway to Kirkenes in the far north close to the Russian border. This is a journey that takes an incredible 134 hours and has been dubbed the most scenic sea voyage around, and at this time of year it takes its 691 passengers into the land of the midnight sun at a speed of only 15 knots (17.3 mph or 27.8 kilometres per hour), so Hurtigruten (directly translated to “The Fast Route”) has long been outdone in the definition-stakes of fast transportation.

In a world where we like our entertainment to be fast paced and action-packed this would seem, on paper, to be a recipe for disaster, but it is turning out to be one of the network’s greatest successes in recent times. Population-wise Norway is a small country with only 4.92 million inhabitants. So far 1 345 000 of these inhabitants (including myself of course) has tuned in to follow this voyage. As the ferry passes towns and villages on their route they are greeted by people everywhere dressed in their finest, or in very little at all depending on character, waving flags, brass bands playing and people singing. It’s like a 17th of May (our Constitution Day) celebration in every harbour and people seem to unite over this very unusual event with a high sense of national pride and a genuine joy in watching this journey unfold so slowly before them and before us who view from afar.

It’s not only via our television screens we tune in. There is a live web-broadcast too with Denmark, USA, Germany, The Netherlands and Great Britain amongst its keenest viewers. There are frequent updates on Twitter and the Facebook page dedicated to the voyage has nearly 60 000 followers, so in some sense the fast-paced technology of getting updates on where and when at any given time seem to motivate viewers somewhat to tune in, or if not able to, at least not miss out on anything - a unison between fast and slow.

I’m no expert in either Slow or what this unusual event means, but from my little perch people seem very responsive to this piece of Slow-television. As this unusual journey by television is gathering momentum, it is in every sense a fantastic advertisement for the concept of Slow-travel. “Slow” seems to be a buzz-word again here in Norway and that makes my little tortoise heart leap with joy.

For those of you than want to have a little look-see at what this is all about you can visit the following link: http://www.nrk.no/hurtigruten/?lang=e

Last week I was forced to pay a visit to my doctor. Well, it is quite an happening to me because I am always fine - thank God! - and I really do believe in the old saying: “An Apple a Day, Keeps the Doctor Away!”. Anyway, perhaps the Apples are not what they ‘re used to be, so… I was caught by a virus that works on our psychologic system and it seems that make us feel fragile as if we were sad or going through an emotional pain… Quite weird, actually!

So, there I was, trying to explain to my Doctor - who rarelly seems me - my “je ne ces’t quois” symptoms, feeling awkward for not knowing very well what was happening to me. On that day, there as a trainee doctor with him and he was explaining - during the time it was with me - what he was doing, why, and the decisions he was taking. But, on the other hand, he included me on the training…

My doctor was explaining to the trainee and to me that he had been on a Conference the day before, doing a presentation to students of the 9th grade to whom will be asked to choose a career path, by the end of this school term. So he explained the positive aspects of being a Doctor but he also preapared themselves - without scaring but encouraging them - to the less positive ones.

In Portugal, a Family doctor - the so called general medical practitioner - has 12 minutes for a Patient Visit. Can you imagine? How do you listen, examine, talk to and specially explain a Patient the reasons why he does not feel good and the reasons why he has to see the Doctor?…  How do you explain and prepare a patient that is about to know that has a Cancer? Ou that he or she has Diabetes and that the daily routines are going to change for the rest of the patient’s life?… How do you deal with feelings and fragile minds on particular moments in… 12 minutes?…

Well, this is not very sexy for an young doctor due to the stress caused by the amount of patients a doctor sees per day, in general. Quick responses in such a short period and controled time is just simply terrible when it comes to human lives. But my Doctor - whom I did not see very often - surprised me with such an emotional inteligence to deal with these situations while he was telling the trainee his experience in dealing with Time trying not to scare at all but confronting him with the naked  reality of these times where the Healthcare Systems are now ruled my Managers instead of Doctors.

Even being highly experienced and emotionally able to deal with these and even other higher stressfull situations, mistakes are expected to happen. And when it comes to human lives… there’s no Time for escuses!

Slow Regards from Lisbon,

Birdie

Today, we have been celebrating the Portugal’s Day. Not only in Portugal but all over Portuguese Communities around the World.

The 10th of June is one of the Portuguese national bank holidays and it’s a significant date to the Country where the most important Political and Military entities are the main players of the celebrations and speeches that last for most part of the day.

However, apart from these celebrations there was an important news that had a strong impact on every national TV channels and Press: for the first time, since 1900, Portugal has presented the lowest rate of Newborn Children in the Country. People get married later than ever, have children almost at 40 and there are more people dieing than in the previous decades versus the number of people that are born.

Many political analysts commented on these facts and they all have agreed about the causes behind these structural Social problems:

1. the worldwide economical crisis;
2. the high levels of unemployment;
3. the lack of employment stability.

In fact, a huge stain for an important date that celebrates the Nation.

However, I believe that there are other causes for the negative results of this National Demographics Report. There’s a strong need to change the way Societies live, not only in Portugal but all over the Planet. Even if the economical crisis was not so serious as it is, if the levels of unemployment were not so high, etc… would these results be too different?… Probably but not meaningfully. The numbers would rise but… at a slower pace.

To make my point, as far as I’m concerned, even if the scenario was of economical growth would the levels of stress, anxiety and pressure decrease? Would people feel themselves with better lives with more free time to enjoy the goods they would buy and to spend more time with their family and children? I don’t think so. Without wanting to speculate too much about the economical issues the fact is that our lives became worse - qualitatively speaking - with the fast economical development of many countries without knowing how to manage that growth and not measuring the impact of that economical and technological development on Society.

I am neither against the technology nor the economical growth! I am known among my friends as the “Gadget Girl”. :)  And I do believe this is vital for our survival and also quality of living. However, in times of worldwide crisis, worldwide stress and anxiety, worldwide depression increasing levels… lessons must be learnt and not be camouflaged.

Any kind of development process should be also sustainable for long-term and its impacts on our lifestyle should be measured and monitoriesed in short-periods of time.

Technological and Economical growth are extremely important to maintain our social systems working but in a more humanized and qualitative way.

This is my biggest wish for the Day of my Nation: Portugal.