It's time to take some time

• Published date: 27 June 2022
• Publication title: Shanghai Daily

I'm slow.

Catch-up's been a big game in my life ever since grades started to matter.

While the whole class flew through chapter 18 of "The Kite Runner," I was still lingering on chapter 11. Assignments on composing music in orchestra class took a toll on my grades because it took me longer to find a tune that resonated with me. While the world spins with manic productivity before my eyes, I often feel like a sloth in a stampede.

nd that's not all. People around me seem to zoom through smaller, everyday tasks as well, leaving me to finish my meal alone at a once-full dinner table or field complaints from my mom regarding my century-long showers. Sometimes, walking home with my friends feels like running a 200-meter race to keep up. Living in today's world, what happened to savoring a book, perfecting a piece of music, and taking in the scenery while you walk?

I enjoy using my time in a leisurely way, but the world does not necessarily concur.

Carl Richards from The New York Times even puts our status quo as "people wearing 'busy' like a badge of honor." In this whirl of insane productivity, slow people wear a badge of shame. We fail to achieve society's standards of success simply because we take our time.

We've become accustomed to weighing quantity over quality. Sometimes, people operate so fast that they overlook possibilities for refinement. In the book "In Praise of Slowness...