Carl Honore: Slowing down in a world built for speed

[duckstance90]

funny, i'm watching this for my uni exams and reflect on myself having been studying 12 hours a day for the past almost 2 months and doing nothing else apart from that. really smart guy that one.

[NextStarfish]

Great TED talk - I used it in a recent blog post on Slowing Down, on Nextstarfish

[crudhousefull]

He preaches it...but it sure doesn't look like he adheres to it...

[kayuhgerek]

Proverb of arabic origin....the soul travels at the pace of a throtting camel..thats the nature of human soul..to go faster than that is un-natural

[fatstupidwhatever]

TED speakers are limited to 20 minutes. They all talk fast so that they can convey their message within the time limit. That's why he said something like, "Except right now when I can see my time ticking down."

[nouralharirii]

This man has a real message..

[vivaaa1309]

Why do people automatically judge everything and find the faults in something before even thinking things through? Instead of considering the meaning of the speech, you pick on anything that might make you seem superior to those ideas. Most likely because you know it concerns you and don't want others to find anything wrong with your ways, which is what he explicitly pointed out.

[slyckafin]

mmm.... Are the people commenting on his talking speed serious...? How can you freakin decide your own talking speed? If you talk fast then you talk fast and vice-versa! If he unconsciously speaks fast then do not freaking hate him for it. For some people, their natural factor of slowness is comparable to an average's person's natural factor of fastness. It's like telling a turtle to sprint and a rabbit to crawl!

[wanagj]

speaking fast is not the problem, he is addressing the lifestyle we are living in.we need to slow down to live the life not to do the life!

[lachubm]

does he know the difference between slow and fast. Has he heard himself speak. He is contradicting himself.

[rcwninja]

@lachubm - I think he is speaking so quickly because he is respecting all of us speed-o-holics time. I think he is still sensitive to the speed nature of us all... in other words - would you still have watched that if it was a forty minute video?

[lachubm]

he is contradicting his ideas, concept. He is speaking 120 words a min. That's not slow .Is he about to catch a bullet train

[korovyur]

wrong description, Fab Lab is another speech

[garrhook]

even the music in the introduction is too fast and sounds quite frantic, actually. Maybe also try meditation or Buddhism. How can I take him seriously when listening to him speak so quickly actually is a little bit stressful.

[yhtyhyh]

he is describing exactly what's going on in every day life

[ZenMoodi]

we could also say better slow up!

[ZenMoodi]

ROADRUNNER CULTURE....................:-)

[neilandersonn]

Eckart Tolle would fit the slowness movement very neatly. I guess his speech and the slowness objectives are not on the same page. He's too fast by default.

[BourneBulldozer]

i like cheese.

[ZenMoodi]

@BourneBulldozer yes man ^^^^

[darksideofthenation]

slowing down helps with social anxiety and stresses

[ThisBoyTV]

@darksideofthenation

Agree

[irpal61]

GO SLOW.........................

[Islandtune07]

I've totally digged this book since the year 2006 when I first ran across it at a public library in the US.

[gudgioni]

his theory is very very old theory. He seems a nice guy but he isnt saying anything a reasonably sensible person wouldnt have already noticed.

[gevpop]

Although he may not be saying anything new. He is at least saying this so maybe people who are insensible can take this to heart.

[Fatimus]

Ironically enough, he speaks really fast.

[ronruck]

yeah Fatimus, really! His message is on point, but when I first heard him on an NPR podcast I thought for a minute I might have to listen twice to absorb everything he was saying! lol

[QuantumProphet]

@Fatimus yep, you need to speak fast so you can finish and go on with your slow ways ha

[ProtandimDistributor]

@Fatimus I'd bet he's a visual learner.

[MissBookLover]

I'm a huge fan of Carl Honore. He is a brilliant writer and speaker and he has a great message. He's also very funny. Love him!

[khorvat9105]

5:47-6:51

13:36-15:07

[micah3110]

Manic rushing and working ridiculously long hours is no way to get anything done. Going too fast leads to mistakes, poor decisions, poor problem solving, and general corporate stupidity and mindlessness. It's sad when someone lives a one-dimensional life built entirely around a job working for a corporation.

[HecterPlasmic]

This guy talks rather quickly and the constant gesticulations make him appear quite agitated. Just an observation.

[robotaholic]

to some people slowness doesn't come easily- I walk fast, talk fast, and care to be time efficient - it is just against my nature to slow down- slow people are annoying to me and I can't help but avoid them

[brentnewhall]

Well, yes, and I appreciate that.  However, just because it comes naturally, doesn't mean you should necessarily do it. To some, violence to small animals comes naturally; doesn't mean they should give in to that natural tendency.

I write this as a fast person who's slowly (heh!) learning to be slower, and I can say that it's very much worth it!

[FartheadOgre]

marijuana

[ZenMoodi]

@FartheadOgre wow skarakanubu

[FhionaNYC]

I'll definitely endorse slower sex though - my latest love just does it naturally (we're both rather young and not at that exploration into different methids yet) and I can't tell you what a massive difference it makes!! It's heaven! :)

[FhionaNYC]

wow.. Better be speed reading then... lol

[tyrbolo]

Tonights book since Daddy is slowing down and

has more time read to you is Atlas Shrugged,,,<GRIN>

[jose333]

I read a book a long time ago called Faster by James Gleick. It's the same idea.

[electricj6969]

it is kind of hilarious that they try to sell you $50,000 cars at the end of these.

[swingbabu2006]

He is good but hipocrat. He never mensioned Japan, one of the slowest yet efficient culture of ancient times.

[brentnewhall]

Huh? How was Japanese culture efficient? The feudal system was incredibly inefficient in many ways. Which ancient times? Japan doesn't go back all that far.

[craigmason84]

Do you have any idea how many hours/week japanese people work?

[Schneckenzucht]

35 to 40. rather 35 than 40 if you calculate down from the wikipedia anual workhours chart

[DavidTheSilencer]

ya 7 hours per week

[CleverDjembe]

Situ in Finland: most people here work 8-hour (+30min lunch) days. This is the standard here as it's in most western countries, I guess.

[km6xz]

"Situ in Finland: most people here work 8-hour (+30min lunch) days. "

No, actually from observing from "next door" Finns have much more spare time for friends, family and leisure. I moved to St Petersburg Russia from the USA 4 years ago and found I work hard but still have more time for culture, friends and exploration than I ever had before. Family friends and work come in that order and everyone else does the same.

[CopenhagenRocks]

This guy is on to something!

[EntranceDenied]

I would like to slow down and wish the calm melody would be eternal....but it is heartbreaking that no matter slow things are...time will still go by.

[GarbanzoBean23]

i wish he would talk slower.

[garethblake450]

about time slowness is starting to be taken seriously. I live a slow relaxed and highly productive life where as my partner lives a 40-60 hour week life with so little time to enjoy his life.

[adeart7]

is your partner obsessed with making a lot of money? people who work hours like that tend to want a lot of money

[micah3110]

People who are workaholics are hiding from life and perhaps killing the pain of something that's eating at them. US culture applauds the workaholic, but I can tell you from personal experience that a workaholic can destroy relationships and family ties. Workaholism is an addiction and I've noticed many workaholics have addictive personalities.

[pablolanzas91]

wow!, you added this video, the same day that I bought the book.