Slow Down You Move To Fast

There are problems inherent with today’s world that are never going to be solved without disciplined intervention. Today’s world is small and communication is fast. What is ironic is that despite all the tools we have to save time, the commodity that we are lacking is actually time itself.

I spent Saturday attending a memorial for one of my mentors in Vancouver. While watching a slideshow of his life I realized that up to that moment I had not really processed the reality of his death. He had passed away in March but Saturday was the first time my grief fully manifested.

We left the memorial and a $75 cab ride later we were at the airport for a late flight home. We got to bed at 3am Sunday morning and we were up four hours later to get ready for eight hours of lion dancing and kung fu demos for Canada Day. By the end of the day, the memorial felt like it had happened eighteen months ago.

I do not believe grieving is best handled in this way. If you take away the fast travel, I would have had ample time to process my grief and deal with my feelings appropriately. Sunday was unique. Canada Day commitments are made a year in advance but I know that even without that commitment, something else would have been pulling me to get home quick. It is exhausting to never be where you think you need to be. You would think it would be simple to maintain a perspective that the only moment that has ever been relevant is the present moment. It is never that simple. I guess that is why we call Zen a practice.

“Where grief is fresh, any attempt to divert it only irritates.” - Samuel Johnson (1709 - 1784)