About 60 people took part in a ‘Slow is Beautiful’ weekend at Drumalis Retreat Centre, Co Antrim in November.
They considered how to interpret the word ‘slow’, asking questions like –
What are we doing too quickly? And why does this matter?
Is ‘slow’ always beautiful? (No. Some things we need quickly).
What has ‘slow’ to do with sustainability? A great deal!
Guest speakers included John Woods of Friends of the Earth, Simon O’Rafferty of the Eco Design Centre in Cardiff, research student Alma Clavin and Jules Pretty, author of The Earth Only Endures.
Ecclesiastes 3:1-2 reminds us that: “To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven: A time to be born, And a time to die; A time to sow, And a time to reap.”
Yet we have set speed as the measure by which our affairs are judged. In consequence, we are running down the gifts of nature faster than they can be replenished, leading to such serious problems as climate change, the energy crisis, the financial crisis, overwork and personal stress.
Participants agreed that a sustainable society is a substantial contribution to a peaceful and convivial society.