“When you walk slowly and leisurely, looking around, you can realize at last that flowers bloom and birds sing. The signal is often against those of you who walk fast and quickly. Being speedy means going forward with only results, goals and death in the end.” This writing is quoted from a poet, Lee Won-gyu, who advocates the ‘aesthetics of slowness’. In this way, we always live busy and stereotyped lives. Think of peace and freedom when you feel like walking leisurely. It is hard for most of today's people to keep up with their fast lives. When we see the people who enjoy relaxed lives, sometimes we envy them for their ways of life. There is no hurry. We have plenty of time. Well, relax and slow down! You'd better not push things too fast.
● Slow VS Fast
-Handwritten letter VS E-mail
-Slow fashion VS Fast fashion
Today, fast fashion is very popular to reflect the latest fashion trends. From design to sales, it takes only a week to complete clothing, and it is cheap as well. However, hidden behind this rapidity are the exploitation of cheap labor and environmental destruction. Due to the low price, people buy clothes in large quantities. Furthermore, since these clothes follow trends, they have very short life cycles. Because most of those are made of chemicals, they emit when they are incinerated. To solve this problem, slow fashion was born. The ‘slow’ in slow fashion has various meanings: first, it is desired to return the fair price to producers through fair trade. Next, it is to make clothes with organically grown cotton. By these fabrics with natural made from plants and roots, the amount of chemicals that goes into making each garment is drastically reduced. Also, whenever you think that clothes are out of fashion, you can reform them. When you practice slow-fashion, you will feel uncomfortable. However, this is to make your body, mind and earth grow strong and healthy. The future generations will inherit a livable world.
Today, fast fashion is very popular to reflect the latest fashion trends. From design to sales, it takes only a week to complete clothing, and it is cheap as well. However, hidden behind this rapidity are the exploitation of cheap labor and environmental destruction. Due to the low price, people buy clothes in large quantities. Furthermore, since these clothes follow trends, they have very short life cycles. Because most of those are made of chemicals, they emit when they are incinerated. To solve this problem, slow fashion was born. The ‘slow’ in slow fashion has various meanings: first, it is desired to return the fair price to producers through fair trade. Next, it is to make clothes with organically grown cotton. By these fabrics with natural made from plants and roots, the amount of chemicals that goes into making each garment is drastically reduced. Also, whenever you think that clothes are out of fashion, you can reform them. When you practice slow-fashion, you will feel uncomfortable. However, this is to make your body, mind and earth grow strong and healthy. The future generations will inherit a livable world.
-Nickel-silver pot VS Earthen pot
-An upstart VS A late bloomer
Most kids go to one or two academies even before they enter elementary school. Their parents want them to be better than others. In other words, they hope that their children grow up healthy and become leaders in the society. Nowadays, young children are featured in various media for fast success. Obviously they have talents, but they won’t take much time and endeavor for success. The quick success doesn’t guarantee being happy in life, though. The only thing remaining for a person who reached the top of the tree too early is to go down. Also, by quick achievement, this kind of person takes no interest in his field, and he can’t achieve bigger goals.
Most kids go to one or two academies even before they enter elementary school. Their parents want them to be better than others. In other words, they hope that their children grow up healthy and become leaders in the society. Nowadays, young children are featured in various media for fast success. Obviously they have talents, but they won’t take much time and endeavor for success. The quick success doesn’t guarantee being happy in life, though. The only thing remaining for a person who reached the top of the tree too early is to go down. Also, by quick achievement, this kind of person takes no interest in his field, and he can’t achieve bigger goals.
Most kids go to one or two academies even before they enter elementary school. Their parents want them to be better than others. In other words, they hope that their children grow up healthy and become leaders in the society. Nowadays, young children are featured in various media for fast success. Obviously they have talents, but they won’t take much time and endeavor for success. The quick success doesn’t guarantee being happy in life, though. The only thing remaining for a person who reached the top of the tree too early is to go down. Also, by quick achievement, this kind of person takes no interest in his field, and he can’t achieve bigger goals.
On the other hand, normal people would require a lot of effort and time for their success. Don't feel bad about your failure now. There are so many late bloomers who become successful after many years’ failure.
● Slowness in Nature
-Agriculture
“I met slowness and wisdom in a ridge between rice paddies,” a person returning to farming said. He is content with a comfortable and leisurely life-style rather than a prosperous life. In this way, agriculture gives us the wisdom of slowness and a long wait. A bowl of rice means farmers’ tears and sweat for one year. As a result, slowness and waiting lengthen our precious life. On the other hand, we build a greenhouse to cultivate crops all year round and light a stove in the greenhouse to boost output even in winter. Also, agricultural scientists try to make genetically modified produce to improve output. Of course they can satisfy our material desire, but we can take true mental comforts with agricultural products which are imbued with farmers’ sweat and best wishes.
-I’m not lazy! I’m just slow -- sloth
A sloth is typical icon of laziness because the sloth spends time eating and sleeping repetitively under the cool shade of the trees. But a sloth is not a lazy animal. Instead, he is just a slow animal because of his surrounding environment. In other words, he expertly adapts to the tropical rain forest environment, which is a hot and damp setting. So there is something to learn from a sloth. Sloth always maintains its relaxed image under the shade of big trees, but in daily life, people hurry up early in the morning. They hurry straight over their work, missing important things. Finally they suffer from stress. In contrast, a sloth never hurries up. It pursues a comfortable and peaceful life, being satisfied with its natural life. If we put the sloth’s hidden life theory into practice, we can improve our quality of life.
-Walking slowly
It is usually said that a person walks 80,000 kilometers in a lifetime. However, thanks to the development of transportation, people seldom walk no matter how short the walk is.
Walking is a new way of feeling slowness. Koreans are accustomed to the words ‘hurry up!’ If you walk alone or with friends in nature, you can take time for self-examination.
Some people take time to walk for their health. As Edward P. Weston said, “Walking would teach people the quality that youngsters find so hard to learn”; you can get patience through walking as well as health. People who experienced a long country march know how much patience walking needs. That’s why an old saying says, “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”
In Korea, there are two representative beautiful roads to walk: ‘Cheongsando’ and ‘Olle way in Jeju Island’ In Cheongsando, there are many peaceful sights. For example, we can see cattle walking up to a slope with a wagon and an elderly man carrying an A-frame on his back easily. The cultivator is the most popular transportation, and the sky is tinted in gold with the sunset against a stone wall. These sights are not common on any usual island. But here, many visitors admire the slow and traditional scenery. Also, ‘Olle way in Jeju Island’ is now in the spotlight of worldwide people. Olle means a narrow pathway that connects a street to a gate. On this road, you can experience nature and the exotic beauty of Jeju Island without transportation like a car or train. It will be a good time if you find this place and walk along in a pure way!
● Feel Slowness with your whole body! – Damyang cittaslow
In the fast change of urbanization, you feel empty and slow in a cittaslow (slow city). Let’s put busy city life aside and leave for Changpyeong, Damyang, a cittaslow. To feel slowness is no longer an option there because a bus leaves every two hours. But the residents there never feel uncomfortable. Moreover, they consider one hour as just ten minutes. Beautiful roads along the stone wall and tile tops exemplify their leisurely life styles. They made these stone walls using mud by traditional methods. The mud came from rice paddies and the stones were collected from the nearby river, so the colors and shapes of the stones are all different. Really, people in this town love nature itself. While walking slowly along the stone wall, you will forget all worrisome things. You will have no stress and just relax. To visit this Changpyung Damyang cittaslow is a valuable chance to feel the aesthetics of slowness while getting away from the busy days.
● Go to another cittaslow! (TIP!)
In Korea, there are five more cittaslows besides Changpyeong, Damyang.
-Shinan Jeungdo
There is another cittaslow in Shinan. This city boasts huge salt fields which are the largest Korean single salt fields. The salt has high quality and several local producers have been designated as ‘salt master’ while villagers pursue slow and relaxed life. All of these things explain why Shinan is certified as a cittaslow.
-Jangheung Yuchi
In Jangheung, visitors can feel like it is their hometown. This city is surrounded by beautiful traditional houses and stonewalls. And in Jangheung, there are vast fields of Pyogo mushrooms, which are a real slow food. Jangheung is an important place to expand awareness of slow food since it is a real slow city.
-Wando Cheongsando
Visitors will understand the reason why Cheongsando is certified as a cittaslow when they visit. The walking road around the stone walls and wide blue sea are a distinguishing feature of the islands. In Cheongsando, visitors can enjoy peace of mind and look back to the past with a feeling of warmth.
-Hadong Akyang
The cittaslow Hadong has three aromas that bring homesickness to city people. Hadong has protected a wild green tea plantation for 1300 years. It’s just a gift from nature without using agricultural chemicals. The town of Akyang is one with no green house. The tea has a peculiar taste and a rich fragrance. Visitors can enjoy clean water, wind, and sunshine with green tea in the company of Hadong’s friendly residents
-Yesan Daeheung
Daeheung in Yesan is certified as the sixth cittaslow in Korea. Its lake and ecological park attract many tourists and villagers. These are formed naturally. In particular, the lake in Yesan is rich with insects, many species of plants and a natural fishing place loved by fishermen. These characters can explain why Yesan was certified as a cittaslow in Korea.
Today we live in a fast-paced world. Speedy competition started the age of limitless competition. Super high-speed trains, high-speed Internet! Even now people shout “faster and faster”! Speed gets vitality and improves efficiency. However, the speedy competition sacrifices warm relationships with friends and family, smile, trust and peace. To be slow is to be empty. Being empty is living unselfishly. Walking slowly, reading books, listening to quiet music, feeling wind and meditation: These only exist in slowness.