Fantastic! I have always thought that, for me, living in accordance with nature is a central concept of Stoicism. Slow living seems to be the art of putting this into practice. I need more slow living!
So glad this found it's way to me. I found my way to stoicism when our son got chronically ill. Thankfully he's all better now but it was awful. I was reading Master of Change from Brad Stulberg where he goes into some of the stoic mindset which led me down the rabbit hole. Now I live trying to control what is controllable and riding the rest like waves. It's really made a massive difference in my demeanor and life. This post especially resonates with me. I am doing less on purpose and it's glorious.
Thank you, Mike! I'm glad your son is doing well now. I've also just started a new publication you might like called Simplitude. I'm planning to explore the simple life and how we can find contentment where we are. Just publishing occasional pieces for now but hopefully it will contribute to the conversation around slow living.
This is my favorite column of yours, and one of my favorites overall, this year. I feel like it was intended for me and my wife who are living an incredibly “busy” life, which seems to be leading to general unhappiness. My quandary is, how do I get my better half to buy in without being didactic?
Good question, and I don't think there's a perfect answer. My suggestion would be to focus on what you would both gain through slow living rather than what you have to give up. It can be hard for people to give up the lifestyle they are used to, so you might try to show her that her life will be much better when it is slower. Maybe start slowly (pun intended) by going on a nice slow vacation and seeing what a slower and more intentional pace of life is like. Start incorporating some slow hobbies into your life so it feels like a natural transition from your busy pace now to something slower in the next few years. I enjoy watching YouTube videos from people living a slower life--I find it inspiring and it gives me good ideas for a 21st century slow life.
But remember you can't rush people. And since we are talking about slowing down anyway, here's one of my favorite quotes from Epictetus:
"Nothing great comes into being all at once, for that is not the case even with a bunch of grapes or a fig. If you tell me now, 'I want a fig,' I'll reply, 'That takes time.' Let the fig tree first come into blossom and then bring forth its fruit, and then let the fruit grow to ripeness. So even if the fruit of a fig tree doesn't come to maturity all at once and in a single hour, would you seek to gather the fruit of a human mind in such a short time and with such ease?"
Excellent, challenging essay! While the cost of living and health care certainly drives some of this craziness, much of it is of our own choosing… our craving for more and more, either of experiences or things. Thank you
Thank you, Tim! I agree, it's very challenging to put these ideas into practice, but it's nice to have a frame of reference for our actions. Hope you're doing well!
Great piece. In retirement I can more fully live this way. My working life I was able to have moments of slow, but not like now. It would be worth focusing on slow while working, most of the business is unimportant and based on climbing the ladder of supposed success. Enjoy this moment.
Great article! I’m glad you ended with Seneca talking about going against the crowd (counterculture, as you say). I find this one of the most important themes that run through Seneca’s writings. I think you are right, that Seneca “went with the crowd,” running the Roman hedonic treadmill and it lead to misery. We are lucky he was self aware to realize this and to write about it.
Fantastic! I have always thought that, for me, living in accordance with nature is a central concept of Stoicism. Slow living seems to be the art of putting this into practice. I need more slow living!
So glad this found it's way to me. I found my way to stoicism when our son got chronically ill. Thankfully he's all better now but it was awful. I was reading Master of Change from Brad Stulberg where he goes into some of the stoic mindset which led me down the rabbit hole. Now I live trying to control what is controllable and riding the rest like waves. It's really made a massive difference in my demeanor and life. This post especially resonates with me. I am doing less on purpose and it's glorious.
Thank you, Mike! I'm glad your son is doing well now. I've also just started a new publication you might like called Simplitude. I'm planning to explore the simple life and how we can find contentment where we are. Just publishing occasional pieces for now but hopefully it will contribute to the conversation around slow living.
This is my favorite column of yours, and one of my favorites overall, this year. I feel like it was intended for me and my wife who are living an incredibly “busy” life, which seems to be leading to general unhappiness. My quandary is, how do I get my better half to buy in without being didactic?
Good question, and I don't think there's a perfect answer. My suggestion would be to focus on what you would both gain through slow living rather than what you have to give up. It can be hard for people to give up the lifestyle they are used to, so you might try to show her that her life will be much better when it is slower. Maybe start slowly (pun intended) by going on a nice slow vacation and seeing what a slower and more intentional pace of life is like. Start incorporating some slow hobbies into your life so it feels like a natural transition from your busy pace now to something slower in the next few years. I enjoy watching YouTube videos from people living a slower life--I find it inspiring and it gives me good ideas for a 21st century slow life.
But remember you can't rush people. And since we are talking about slowing down anyway, here's one of my favorite quotes from Epictetus:
"Nothing great comes into being all at once, for that is not the case even with a bunch of grapes or a fig. If you tell me now, 'I want a fig,' I'll reply, 'That takes time.' Let the fig tree first come into blossom and then bring forth its fruit, and then let the fruit grow to ripeness. So even if the fruit of a fig tree doesn't come to maturity all at once and in a single hour, would you seek to gather the fruit of a human mind in such a short time and with such ease?"
Good luck!
Excellent, challenging essay! While the cost of living and health care certainly drives some of this craziness, much of it is of our own choosing… our craving for more and more, either of experiences or things. Thank you
Thank you, Tim! I agree, it's very challenging to put these ideas into practice, but it's nice to have a frame of reference for our actions. Hope you're doing well!
Great piece. In retirement I can more fully live this way. My working life I was able to have moments of slow, but not like now. It would be worth focusing on slow while working, most of the business is unimportant and based on climbing the ladder of supposed success. Enjoy this moment.
Great article! I’m glad you ended with Seneca talking about going against the crowd (counterculture, as you say). I find this one of the most important themes that run through Seneca’s writings. I think you are right, that Seneca “went with the crowd,” running the Roman hedonic treadmill and it lead to misery. We are lucky he was self aware to realize this and to write about it.