How fast is too fast?

We hurry through our meals to go to work and hurry through our work in order to "recreate" ourselves in the evenings and on weekends and vacations. And then we hurry, with the greatest possible speed and noise and violence, through our recreation--for what? To eat the billionth hamburger at some fast-food joint hell-bent on increasing the "quality" of our life? And all this is carried out in a remarkable obliviousness to the causes and effects, the possibilities and the purposes, of the life of the body in this world. -Wendell Berry, The Pleasures of Eating

There are many things I need to work on in life, but one of them is not speeding up. I go too fast. Kate reminds me of this frequently and I know it. When I run, I run fast. When I hike, I hike fast. I play speed chess, text fast (but not this fast) and write papers at breakneck speed. I even blog fast. This will take me ten minutes--give or take. But I can't help but think that this is not a very fulfilling life. It's a very economical, achievement-driven life, but it's not a very good one.

It also doesn't lend itself well to quality work. Recently I read that Americans were asked "What business best defines America?" and over 50% answered Wal-Mart. It's economical, fast and easy. But... sigh... is it really good? I don't go to Wal-Mart anymore because I want to believe that there is something important about local businesses. That said, I shop at Target and Cub often because they are easy. Am I guilty? Yes. I can't get out of it, though I want to. I want to slow down... I want to know the people around me, but I also feel trapped in a society that doesn't value that.

I'm working at it. I have an uneasy relationship with anything that makes me go faster. I try not to drink coffee, I don't own a "smart phone" (and really don't want to), and my car is slow (also good). I want to be both fast and slow. How frustrating is that? It's a strange dichotomy. Welcome to my life.