Editorials

Hurried lifestyle

(China Daily)
Updated: 2010-07-24 06:46

Chinese are in a hurry. They seem like parts of a fast running machine. With China hurtling ahead like the locomotive of the world economy, its people are losing the charm of an easy-paced or, should we say, slow life. The rapid pace of the country's economic progress in recent years has forced many to change gear and live life in the "fast lane."

Nearly all of us are rushing through life. We jump queues, jump red lights, eat fast food, drive fast cars, and work like modern machines. We want to have faster computers and faster Internet access. We even have smart phones that give us quick access to the Internet.

We have too many goals to achieve - adults are busy making as much money as possible, while children are rushing through heavy curricula. No wonder so many people suffer from hypertension and haplessness.

It's hard to imagine what life would be like if we were to slow down because "slow" has become such a bad word in Chinese culture. Just consider some of the synonyms for slow: sluggish, apathetic, time-consuming, boring, long-winded, lethargic, plodding, protracted, lengthy, listless, tedious, stupid and dense. Being slow has got such a bad connotation that we can't even think how we could possibly get everything done that we need to for our work and home unless we're running at full speed.

Psychologists have studied the happiest people and discovered they deliberately slow down at times so that they can pay attention to what will allow them to feel good. But experts have found that Chinese are unable or unwilling to slow down.

China Daily

(China Daily 07/24/2010 page5)