Life in the slow lane

There’s a new movement afoot, and it’s a slow one because some say that Americans’ need for speed is destroying health and families.

The whole idea behind the slow movement is to take your time:

Slow movement members don’t fit one profile. They’re journalists, lawyers, chefs, farmers. Yet they cite the same factors for our inability to slow down: longer work hours, longer commutes and technological advances like BlackBerrys that keep many employees chained to work.

They suggest people combat “time famine” by practicing random acts of slowness: turning off the BlackBerry, cooking unhurried meals with friends, cultivating a garden and taking long walks.

Proponents contend that not only will slowing down help promote work/life balance, health and even democracy as more people have time to focus on the issues.