The world we live in today is such a fast world. The speed at which things move in our time is amazing. We have devices, internet speeds and transport systems that are faster now than ever before. Everything from how we communicate, feel, interact, learn and live has an element of speed attached to it. Speed is an element that is now ingrained into the modern way of doing things. Safe to say, we are living in the age of acceleration.
As I was thinking through this blog post my first instinct was to investigate where the human desire for speed stems from and why we desire it. I think the easiest way to answer these questions would be to relate them to something that serves as a possible way to experience speed. The most obvious thing being a motor vehicle.
It is a guaranteed fact that these days it’s hard to find a motor vehicle advertisement that does not include at least one reference to its top speed. Even vehicle marketers know that speed is a universal desire. But have humans always had an affinity for speed? While answering this question can be hard, due to the fact that we cannot make a side-by-side comparison of how our ancestors experienced speed versus how we experience speed today, we can conclude that the excitement that we get from our fast-moving cars is a recent development. That being the case, I think it would also be safe to conclude that there is a link between our evolution & the increasing technological advancements and our desire for speed.
The next question has to do with why we desire speed. There are several reasons why we desire speed. But of all of them I think the most notable one that relates to this post is the psychological idea that speed gives you wings. Psychologists suggest that when you get into a vehicle, there is a change in your psyche. Almost like the vehicle becomes an extension of your personality. And so if in our minds, a vehicle acts as an extension of our personality, making it move faster will in some way, boost our ego.
Answering these two questions is vital to forming this discussion on what the implications of our desire to move faster in various aspects of life are.
The phrase record time is one that has kept replaying in my mind as I have been typing this. Chances are that you have probably heard this phrase being thrown around in a certain context. It has been used in the fields of sport, technology, academia etc. It’s this idea of doing something faster than the person before you.
I believe that the feat itself of achieving something in record time is a commendable act. Its always amazing to see someone do something great in less time. However, I can’t help but question what we may have to give up in order to do certain things quicker. I’d like to draw a distinction between achieving record time as a result of being excellent at what you do and achieving it for the sake of it.
Like I mentioned, I have no problem with the idea of achieving record time as a result of being excellent or effective. But of late I’ve been questioning what’s at stake when we desire to go fast just for the sake of it. Furthermore, I question how sustainable it is to do so. These days, it seems like the rate at which people are experiencing burn out is increasing and I can’t help but think about how this relates to the speed at which the things around us move.
Think about it, in this digital age that we’re living in right now, everything around us is designed to occur as fast as possible. And don’t get me wrong, this comes with many benefits. Probably more benefits than drawbacks. However, it just feels like sometimes our biology cannot keep up with the speed of the modern world. It’s a paradox, we desire speed, but our biology can’t keep up with it. In the words of Kathryn Bouskill, “… we invent rollercoasters and race cars and supersonic planes, but we get whiplash, carsick, jetlagged …” And if our biology can’t keep up with speed, what does that mean for our emotions.
This is a discussion to which I don’t think I have answers to yet. Because I am a person that moves fast. Sometimes out of being effective, other times for the sake of it. I’m also a person who experiences burn out every so often. And after experiencing burn our so many times, there’s only one desire that I have whenever I do experience it. It’s the desire to slow down.
It’s funny because while in the process of doing the things that eventually make me feel burnt out, I rarely think I’m going too fast. But the fact is, the first thing I think about after burning out is slowing down. Which if you’re following, is probably an indicator that I’m going too fast. But it’s not always easy to slow down now is it? In the world of deadlines and more deadlines, the results of speeding up seem less consequential than those of slowing down. Sometimes we want to do something in record time but other times, we have to do something in record time.
And so, we reach the conclusion, which I don’t think will be as conclusive as id like it to be. Whatever the case, I think our desire for speed is justifiable. Doing things fast is fun! Oh yes, it is! But it’s not always good for us, biologically or emotionally, or both. So, like most things, there needs to be a balance between doing things in record time and slowing down when its needed. Which is probably why I may or may not continue this topic in the next blog post. I think it would be a reasonable thing to explore slowing down to the extent that we have explored our desire for speed.
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