Slow It Down{2}
There is a technique used by musicians while learning a difficult passage, or lick as guitarist term it, to play it back slower, thus making it easier to comprehend. In the old days, at least for me, you would turn the record player to half speed and keep putting the needle back to the starting point of the lick. If you had a tape player, it was even easier.
These days there is software that can do this for you. Not only will it keep the pitch, but it will stop and start exactly were you want and go at whatever speed you like. You can go over and over again, until you get the notes and phrasing perfectly. I’ve used a program called Amazing Slow Downer to do just that. Too bad for me that I don’t really play anymore, but for those that do, like all things, the tools are just getting better and better.
What got me thinking about this technique the other day was my perceived need lately to slow life down. I’m sure every generation feels the same, but the pace that information moves at is such that I’m seeing more and more people having a hard time keeping up. The internet is great in that regard, as you can look up virtually anything and no longer need to know it all. But it also has shortened the time people are willing to wait to get anything, information or not. For many, the technology can also be very frustrating. As much as my dad wanted to stay up with computers and technology, it was a great stressor for him and it makes me wonder how I’ll fare in the future. He was a bright guy, which I never really realized growing up. Will it become more and more difficult for me, too?
Everything has become an urgency. There is no waiting allowed. This, at least for me, has caused a sense of rush that at times makes it difficult for me to relax. What I’ve realized, and I know this is not a great revelation for some, is that if I take any situation and just “slow it down”, it becomes much easier to deal with. This may be difficult to do if you have a lot of people pulling at you, which email, texting, IM and phone calls exasperate, but if you can detach from those for a period and “slow it down”, most things become much simpler.
I think, in general, that is one reason that people like myself glorify the simple life in the provinces of the Philippines. Sure people living there don’t have many of the modern conveniences we are used to, nor many things we consider necessary, but at the same time they have a very simple life that can be very rewarding.
Overall I feel there is a slower pace of life in the Philippines. We are familiar with “Philippine time”, whether that be good or bad, as it reflects the pace of life there. It’s definitely one of the things I look forward to, slowing it down. If only there were software for me to do it now!
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Aug 11, 2010 @ 16:59:05
Yes, life is slower here and that’s ok with me. We’ve been here 7 weeks now and the slow pace has given me time to catch up on my reading. After lunch, I take a nap, then read a chapter or two. I’ve had time to read the books I never had time to back home. Also, had time to think and reflect and put some new lesson plans together without a lot of distractions. Our time here has gone quickly.
I could probably be here a year or so just reading stuff that I’ve downloaded from the net.
Aug 11, 2010 @ 20:32:14
Well I’m looking forward to a week of slowing down. Unfortunately we’ll have enough stuff to pack into that week that it won’t be slowing down at all, but still good to visit.