ITALY TAKES A "SLOW DAY" ON FEBRUARY 19TH: NUMEROUS APPOINTMENTS TO SENSITIZE PEOPLE ON THE ENDLESS RACE AGAINST TIME, FROM SLOW FOOD TO RIDES ON MULES

'In Praise of Slow': this is the title of the book by Canadian writer Carl Honoré, one of the gurus of the "Slow Movement" out of which began the efforts to promote the "Art of living slow". And on February 19th all of Italy will be asked to take a slow day (www.vivereconlentezza.it).
"A challenge to the cult of speed" – explained President Bruno Contigliani – “to demonstrate the uselessness of frenzy and to win over the fear of moments with nothing to do". With various proposals and provocations, the invitation is to truly reflect on time and on life and the natural rhythms that man seems to have lost. "The initiative - continued Contigliani - is the starting point of a global movement born in the last century when it became apparent that technology which was supposed to save time actually reduced it even further".
Instead of saying no to this 'speed trap', there are now inventions like 'speed yoga' in London which go precisely against what is traditionally slow in order to accommodate to our frenetic lifestyle. In the United States, funerals can be attended without leaving one's car, by just tossing a flower out of the window, thus even death goes on the clock. Even children are pushed to take on too many daily activities, from gym activities to dancing and singing classes, to language studies… And come bedtime neither parents nor children are capable of finding time for more than a minute-long bedtime story.
The first signs of the "strain of modern life" in Italy began in 1989 with the creation of Slow Food. The founders chose a snail for their symbol and already spoke of a slow life in their manifesto created twenty years ago. A movement created to encourage people to re-appropriate the pleasures of the table. It was in the beginning, however, accused of representing only a small minority of people. "History has not given reason to those who believed we defended the interests of a niche", explained Slow Food founder Carlo Petrini. “Doing everything in a hurry condemns us, and taking back time means taking back life, even at the table".
And from food to sex the step is not far. Among the discoveries of the curators of a slow life there is also the return to readings and courses in Eastern disciplines. Over these past decades, conferences and publications have begun to re-propose tantric sex, an art that is based on a philosophy of slow lovemaking. The main text is Kamasutra, often erroneously confused for a book of positions but which actually illustrates how the prolonging of pleasure over long periods of time naturally procures paradisiacal pleasures. An ancient philosophy for thousands of years, from a time when men and women did not have watches and the daily rhythms were not those of the frenetic ones we have today.
And without any hurry, February 19th will arrive with initiatives that will be anything but stressful, and which will also surely be original. "The Art of Living Slowly" proposes to Romans, for example, to photograph the beauty of the clouds that surround their monuments. In Milan, a human 'peed trap' will be installed on Corso Vittorio Emanuele to control the speed of those hurrying to and from work. In Naples, citizens have been asked to retry the coffee rite, not drinking it standing at a bar but sitting down, possibly around an old style Neapolitan coffee maker.
If, instead, one prefers to take time to enjoy nature, there are may slow initiatives to chose from, like a mule ride in Borgo di Lari in Tuscany, or walks through towns searching for unusual blossoms, buildings of particularly floral colors, or specific scents. "Everyone feels the ills of having to run – concluded the association's president – and have the need to better manage time. I myself made my choice following an accident that halted the stressful rhythms of my life".
If in some way this new philosophy on life has now intrigued you but you don’t know where to begin, it is important to remember that the welcoming of a slow lifestyle is also made up of small things. Everyday gestures that are so much more significant for us and for those around us: like learning how to smile in the midst of traffic or to a not so pleasant colleague. The true luxury of our new millennium is the time to choose to do or not to do.
Anyways, remember not to get stressed deciding how to go about this, and if you are having doubts, then take an age-old advice and sleep on it. Tomorrow there’s time to see things more clearly, and, besides, what’s slower that having a nice, long sleep?