Every body is running. Hey, stop, why are you running ? No, I cannot stop, I may get left behind. And they keep running. The customer wants it yesterday. He is also in a hurry. What happens if it reaches tomorrow ? People make goals and starts running. Stop, think. Does the globe have a goal ? What is the purpose of your life ? What is the end ? All this running, ultimately culminates in one common end. Death. Aren’t we losing our family, friends, health ? How many of them are we knocking down to reach our goals ? Most of us do not know what we want and how much we want. That is the reason for this running blindly.
I understand from a forwarded mail by Sudhakara Menon, in Sweden a project takes 2 years to be finalized, even if the idea is simple and brilliant. It is a rule.
They debate and debate, lots of meetings and work with a slowdown scheme. At the end, this always yields better results.
Volvo, Escania, Ericsson, Electrolux, are some of its renowned companies. Volvo even supplies NASA.
There’s a movement in Europe named Slow Food. This movement establishes that people should eat and drink slowly, with enough time to taste their food, spend time with the family, friends, without rushing. Slow Food is against its counterpart, Fast Food and what it stands for as a lifestyle. Slow Food is the basis for a bigger movement called Slow Europe, as mentioned by Business Week.
Basically, the movement questions the sense of “hurry” and “craziness” generated by globalization, fuelled by the desire of “having in quantity” (life status) versus “having with quality”, “life quality” or the “quality of being”.
French people, even though they work 35 hours per week, are more productive than Americans or British. Germans have established 28.8 hour workweeks and have seen their productivity driven up by 20%.
This no-rush attitude doesn’t represent doing less or having a lower productivity. It means working and doing things with greater quality, productivity, perfection, with attention to detail and less stress.
It means re-establishing family values, friends, free and leisure time. It stands for a less coercive work environment, more happy, lighter and more productive work place where humans enjoy doing what they know best how to do.
It’s time to stop and think on how companies need to develop serious quality with no-rush that will increase productivity and the quality of products and services, without losing the essence.
We all have equal time throughout the world. No one has more or less. The difference lies in how each one of us does with our time. We need to live each moment. As John Lennon said, “Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans”.
Rajmenon's Blog 
Thanks for the write up. I realised this several years ago when I quit my job in 2006 with 5 years of service left and pay hikes like the UGCscale on the horizon which in fact materialized 3 months after I quit. From the past 5 years all my time is my own with no commitments to the institution for which I had worked for 28 years. May be it was possible because I have no dependents or commitments except to the causes I hold dear. Any way, it was very much worth it. I have not lost the money but have gained the time which is more precious than all the money in the world.
Commitments to the causes you hold dear is what life should be. It is never too late for any one to switch and be able to follow their passion. This is what success is all about.
Excell ent write up. what this mad rush ; slow & steady always win the race not only in Slow Cycling race but in real life as well.
Slow food is an excellent concept. there is asaying in Tamil ‘you have to chew 20 times ,enjoy the juices and then chew again. no gulping. Good article to ‘digest’
Well in this rush what happens is when I reached there, there was no there.