Slow movement (culture)

The Slow movement is a cultural shift toward slowing down life's pace.

History

The Slow Movement first began when a protest against the opening of a McDonald's restaurant in Piazza di Spagna, Rome sparked the creation of the Slow Food organization, as well as developing into a subculture in various other areas, Slow Travel, Slow Shopping, and Slow Design, just to name a few.

Geir Berthelsen and his creation of The World Institute of Slowness coined the term 'Slow Travel' in 1999 citing a vision for an entire 'Slow Planet' and a need to teach the world the way of Slow.

The Slow Movement is not organized and controlled by a singular organization. A principal characteristic of the Slow Movement is that it is propounded, and its momentum maintained, by individuals that constitute the expanding global community of Slow. Although it has existed in some form since the Industrial Revolution its popularity has grown considerably since the rise of Slow Food and Cittaslow in Europe, with Slow initiatives spreading as far as Australia and Japan.

Slow life

Not to be confused with [Slow Food][1], the Slow Movement addresses time-poverty, task-greed, and incivility. To be slow is to appreciate community or solitude for its own sake. High value is placed on dignity, humor, and respect for others. The Slow Movement is not a political movement. While the reality of commerce dictates humans must exchange time for goods and services, the Slow Movement values a certain amount of unstructured time.

Philosopher [Josef Pieper][2]’s book, Leisure, the Basis of Culture written more than fifty years ago, shows how leisure is the foundation of culture. Leisure allows for time to contemplate, to create beyond what is necessary for mere survival. The Greeks valued leisure, as did medieval Europeans. Pieper warns against the “Total World of Work,” and if we continue to ignore the need for leisure we will destroy our culture and be less human.

Cittaslow

Further information: Cittaslow

The goals of the Cittaslow movement is to resist the homogenization and globalization of towns and cities and seeks to improve the quality and enjoyment of living by encouraging happiness and self-determination.

See also

• Slow Food
• Carl Honoré
• In Praise of Slowness

External links

• Cittaslow UK - How Slow is applied to towns in the United Kingdom
• In Praise Of Slow - site of the book by Carl Honoré
• SlowDownNow.org - The almost-serious antidote to workaholism. Humorous Slow stories and a Slow Lifestyle Manifesto by Christopher Richards. Stories include How to Get Out of Bed - a philosophical approach and The Importance of the British Tea Break.
• We Are What We Do - authors of Change The World For A Fiver
• Slowness for Sustainability
• Unconventional Ideas
• Work Less Party of Canada
• All Tomorrows Tea Parties - a slow-related project by students of Central Saint Martins in London. UK.
• Slow Movement: Making a Connection - Slow Movement, Slow Cities,