Somebody asked me recently; “Why has technology made us fast”?
It is very good question!
Before we try to understand what technology is, we have to understand what a technique is. A technique is a skill, it can be any skill, like drawing, programming, baking,
dancing designing etc. A technique does not need a technology but by adding “logy” which means collecting so if we collect a skill or technique we get Technology.
Technology is a systematic treatment of a skill or technique so it is really a physical manifestation of a skill or technique.
At first thought you would think that technology has made us slower with that I mean that technology has given us time. Time to enjoy life more.
To do the things we like and enjoy, but it has really made us more busy.
The lack of a basic understanding of what is important in life has made us fast.
It is about making a best possible life for families, cities, countries, our world and ourselves. We want technology to do the things we do not like to do, as fast as possible, so we can do the things we like to do more slowly.
The problem is that we not been able to develop a technology for making us Slow, i.e., less busy and less stressed.
There are many techniques that can be used to slow us down like mindfulness, meditation, walking, just being, but it has not yet been made in to a technology.
Before we can do that we have to redefine the way we think about time! We have to understand that time is an invention. We have to start thinking about time differently.
How can we redefine time in a way that helps us live better lives? How can we develop a technology that makes us less mechanical in our thinking
We can take some clues from how Ancient Greeks considered time – they had two time zones: the linear chronos but also kairos – the time when special events happen (the present moment).
The conclusion is that Technology based only on Chronological time has made us fast because the technology is based only on chronological time only. Chronological time is always based upon a start and an end and it is in our human nature to reach the end as fast as possible.
It is time to re-invent time!
Founder of The World Institute of Slowness
