P: Are there cultural drivers too?
H: Yes. Over the years since the industrial revolution, there’s
been a cultural push toward the notion that faster is better. At
the beginning of the 20th century, we sang the praises of the
new god of speed, but I think the whole culture is sending that
message to us now. Being fast and being busy have become an
end in themselves in our culture. These are badges of honor. It’s
woven into our vernacular. And if people aren’t busy, they’ll still
tell you they’re busy because they’re ashamed that they’re not. A
culture that dignifies speed denigrates and vilifies slowness.
Even when we yearn to put on the breaks, we still don’t do it
because we feel ashamed, afraid or guilty.
P: In one of your previous interviews, you once said
the “power of slow is the power of ‘no.’” Can you
expound on what you mean by that?
H: Part of the problem is that we feel the need to say “yes”
to everything, partly because everything on offer is so tempting. This just leads toward a spiral into speed, a vicious circle
of acceleration until eventually you crash and burn. A big part
of breaking that cycle is to say “no.”
It’s profoundly countercultural: This is a culture that rewards
people who say “yes.” You cannot go slow if you can’t say
“no.” These are very much two sides of the same coin.
P: How do you think the spa industry can help in the
“Slow Movement”?
H: I think the spa industry is already helping. The fact that
the spa industry has grown so big over the past 15 years is a
sign that people are learning to slow down. Spas are some of
the foot soldiers of the slow revolution.
One way to help people slow down is through lived experience—something that’s sensorial, something that’s through
the body. I can write books about it and people can give talks
about how great slowing down is, but until someone actually
experiences it, really feels it at the cellular level, they’re not
going to put on the breaks.
P: Can you give examples of companies embracing
your idea of slow?
H: There are two ways to do that. One is to make products or
offer services that are slow. In the food world, you have any
number of changes and products coming on the line that have a
slow ethic and that are made in a slow way. And many of them
actually use the word slow: slow beer, slow bread, etc.
Then there’s the other side of the equation, with companies that are encouraging their staff to slow down. If you look
at the explosion of meditation and mindfulness programs in
America