Vijitha Sebastian Adappoor

Christmas brings together all the residents of our apartment for one special mission- making the crib. Enthusiasm is at the peak for both the children and the grown-ups. They expect me to roll in all their inputs and just in case any of these is not accepted, they sulk around trying in all goodness to do their bit. Among these were a few tiny tots who were around spending their vacations at their aunt’s place. They had plenty of questions as it was for the first time they were celebrating Christmas with a Christian family. One among their questions was why the three kings were placed a little away from the crib. So we explained the reason to them. To my surprise, every morning they would barge into my house to know how far the kings have reached. Finally, disappointed about the static state, they popped out the question that disturbed them all the while as to why the kings were not moving ahead.

This sent a peal of laughter among those gathered around but, I was surprised that though epiphany was a part of the nativity story, we never felt the way these kids did. Young ones these days want movements in all that they do. My own children too have accused me of being too slow in taking decision and many a times they feel we are lagging behind in the way we handle the electronic gadgets. It is an irony of our modern lives that while technology is continuously inventing ways and means to save our time, we use that time to do more and more work making our lives fast paced and hectic than ever. Life seems to be speeding up these days. Like a bee, on a flower bed, the human brain naturally flits from one thought to the other. In our work place, too, reaction rather than reflection is the order of the day. We fill up every spare moment with mental simulation.

It is true that the brain can work wonders in high gear. But it will do so much more if given the chance to slow down from time to time. If we shift the mind into the lower gear, we can enjoy better health, inner clam, enhanced concentration and the ability to think more creatively. Gandhiji rightly said, “There is more to life than increasing its speed.” Slowing down is a conscious choice and not always an easy one but it leads to a greater appreciation of life and a greater level of happiness.

It is not enough to just slow down; we need to be mindful of whatever we are doing at every moment. A slower paced life means making time to enjoy our morning, instead of rushing off to work in frenzy. It means taking time to enjoy whatever we are doing, to appreciate the surroundings, to focus on whoever we are talking to or spending time with. Sometimes when we are meeting people, we are disturbed by devices.

Speed-driving is a prevalent habit in our fast paced world, causing accidents, lots of stress and wastage of fuel. I asked a group of young college students, whether they follow traffic rules. They assured me that neither do they break them nor do they allow other young ones around them to disobey the rules. They also updated me on how they make the waiting at the traffic signals less annoying. They said that it is important to be at peace so as to enjoy driving.

Many will agree with me that letting go the compulsion to do all things can be an awesomely liberating experience. In the same way, embracing quality over quantity will make our life less stressful and our experience more satisfying. We have to stop worrying about the future and fretting about the past. We should devote a few minutes each day to pause for a moment, slow our breathing and use all our senses to contemplate on everything around us.

Recently, a friend of mine told me that it was her dream to from a group of likeminded people – so that once in a while they could go out and spend time amidst nature. Another activity she wished to take up was practicing compassion – one was locating students who are struggling on their own and helping them to prepare for their exam and the other was helping the ones who are undergoing treatment at various hospitals. She reminded me how during our college days the line, “I expect to pass through this world but once and therefore any good that I can do, or any kindness that I can show to my fellow creature, let me do it now. Let me not defer or neglect them for I shall not pass this way again” captivated our imagination.

Life is like climbing a mountain. We are so concerned about where we are heading to that sometimes we forget to stop and check the past. So we need to acknowledge ourselves that it is our life and we ourselves should garner the energy to enjoy it. If we let life move at such a fast pace it will pass us by before we can really enjoy it.