Slow down you move to fast!

Gesien in Laerskool Kenmare (Krugersdorp) se gang.

Na ’n besoek Londen was ek opnuut bewus hoe klein die wêreld regtig is en hoe klein jou eie wêreld kan word as jy jou nie gedurig blootstel aan nuwe en ander dinge nie.

Terwyl ek my een oggend saam met die skare van een moltrein na die ander haas, en hoop dat ek nie weer in my linkeroor iemand kry wat oopmond kougom kou nie (Het hulle nie ouers gehad wat hulle die basiese maniere geleer het nie?), hoor ek verder in die tonnel die bekende woorde van Simon en Garfunkel se Feeling Groovy tussen die mensbenoudheid na my toe aankom…

Slow down you move to fast

You’ve got to make the morning last

Just kicking down the cobblestones

Looking for fun and feeling groovy…

At the SSAT/iNet Conference, Richard Reeves of Demos, told heads to beware of the hurry sickness.  In his speech he referred to the hurry sickness that afflicts many people in leadership positions.

He mentioned that the lifts company Otis found that in the last decade the time people were prepared to wait in a stationary lift before pressing the door close button had reduced from four to two seconds.

When he quizzed the audience about their own behaviour, it was clear that many of them habitually pressed this button – yet, he pointed out, ‘you must know that half the time it is not connected to anything: it’s a placebo.  Here we have the cream of the profession knowingly engaging in an action you know to be futile.’

A show of hands also demonstrated that a high proportion of the school leaders also habitually did other tasks while brushing their teeth, another sign of hurry sickness, according to Mr Reeves.

‘Please attend to your own wellbeing,’ he exhorted the audience. ‘You matter. You have to have the time, energy and space to engage with your colleagues. If you are under that much pressure, you may be busy but you won’t succeed. Don’t press that button. Give yourself some time.’

Laat al hierdie vir ons ‘n wakkerwordoomblik word.

Kom ons slow down ’n bietjie.  Kom ons kom tot stilstand om die rose te ruik, want dit was ook Simon en Garfunkel wat die volgende geskryf het: The words of the prophets are written on the subway walls…

There is more to life than increasing its speed. – Mohandas K Ghandi

Slow down and enjoy life. It’s not only the scenery you miss by going to fast – you also miss the sense of where you are going and why. – Eddie Cantor

 For fast-acting relief, try slowing down. – Lily Tomlin