Fast, we all go so fast! Why? I think the world needs to slow down. Have you ever just stepped back and taken a breath? You’d be surprised at how suddenly small and insignificant you might feel. Fast cars, digital high-speed everything. Whenever I hear the word “upgrade”, I start to feel ill. Remember when they took away the super sized meals at Mickey D’s? Granted, I love those big striped boxes of fries as much as the next person, but not at the price of a heart attack by age of thirty! I think our society is head for a big time burn out if we don’t slow down just a bit.
I love technology and the things that it makes possible, but I also crave some sort of sense of eternal. Taking things slowly may seem painstakingly old-fashioned, but what is wrong with that? It means that you have a chance to get it done exactly the way you want it. Stop for a minute, and pretend that all the time in the world has suddenly disappeared. No more meter readings or stock markets, no cell phones minutes or instant macaroni. What would you be doing if you no longer had the time?
While everything getting sucked up in to the break necked speed of life, the things that take time and patience are slowly being forgotten because no one has time for them any more! Fall is rapidly approaching, in fact, due to global warming, it is getting harder and harder to tell the difference. I’m not sure what it is like where you live, but every October here in Ohio, we have a Renaissance Festival. As you may well, know, the festival is a celebration of the fine arts and culture of the “ye olde, here ye”. The men and women that sell their wares at this fest are true artists. You are likely to find masters in crafts such as metalworking, glass blowing, jewelry makers, and even hand-sewn garments. The Renaissance Fair is a celebration of the arts and crafts of the late Elizabethan period. Please keep in mind, a great majority these artisans are dedicated to providing a historically accurate experience of this re-enactment, and this includes using Old-world methods to fashion their wares. Because the technology to create and reproduce images and objects en masse is now widely available, many artists and consumers have forgotten the simple beauty of handcrafted goods. I say we all should take a moment to appreciate the time invested in the applied learning traditional and medieval techniques. Maybe it will inspire a Renaissance of it’s own.