Rush To A Decision

A speedy trial. A quick choice. Rush to a decision. Decisiveness. No Indecision Allowed Here! Rush to Judgment!

That’s what life feels like these days. It would seem there’s no one holding up a stop sign calling for a slower pace.

There’s no slow pace! We are living “life in the fast lane…”!

Have you ever watched a traffic control cop? There’s an unknown problem ahead and their job is to funnel everyone down a particular path. Even if it’s not the way you want to go! Regardless of what I may think, too many will simply follow the flow. Lemmings, anyone?

Make it happen. Quickly. Don’t think it through, and don’t give anyone time to think or investigate. They may choose a different path. Who knows? Could it be that one side is wrong and the other side is right?

More than likely, this is the truth of the day.

Why do we quickly make up our mind in the absence of a conviction of truth or fact? Does every choice have to be decided like that red-hot potato you hold in your hand?

It’s almost like our shopping habits. Quick choose one, or the other. It doesn’t matter. They’re all the same!

In a complex world, and just like theological debates, the political world is a series of rabbit trails crisscrossing into the briars and brambles. Our anger gets kindled and before you know it, we react as that which we fear in road-rage incidents. Flash! Burn! Scald! Kill! Bury! Desecrate the memories.

Slow Down! Bring some measured calm into the moment. Let’s aim for a peaceful resolution! How about some sanity in this maddening pace we are calling life?

It was the words of a poem given to me by mom many years ago that speaks to me today.

Slow me down, Lord…

Slow me down, Lord!
Ease the pounding of my heart by the quieting of my mind.
Steady my hurried pace with a vision of the eternal reach of time.
Give me, amid the confusion of the day, the calmness of the everlasting rills.
Break the tensions of my nerves and muscles, with the soothing music of the singing streams that live in my memory.
Orin L. Crain

Or, if you don’t like poems, then go read the lyrics to this song: [Source]

The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin’ Groovy)

Slow down, you move too fast
You got to make the morning last
Just kicking down the cobblestones
Looking for fun and feelin’ groovy
Ba da da da da da da, feelin’ groovy

Hello, lamppost, what’cha knowin’?
I’ve come to watch your flowers growin’
Ain’t’cha got no rhymes for me?
Doot-in doo-doo, feelin’ groovy
Ba da da da da da da, feelin’ groovy

I got no deeds to do
No promises to keep
I’m dappled and drowsy and ready to sleep
Let the morning time drop all its petals on me
Life, I love you
All is groovy

Here’s My Thought

It just seems everyone is pounding the pavement and rushing headlong down the path of life. Pick, choose, decide, and execute judgment. All without the thought of right. Wrong. Better. Worse. Maybe it’s like that saying we all seem to know.

Ready. Fire. Aim!

With no thought of the long-range path, people act and react speedily. Rushing into judgment and final decisions.

Wisely, and slow. They stumble that run fast.
~William Shakespeare

Why do we struggle with our pace? What is it that makes us feel we must make choices and decisions right now?

Now, when driving down the road we all know that sometimes life and death depend on situational awareness, quick reflexes, and the will to do what needs to be done in a flash! Think about it like this. I read a study once that described why everyone hits the tree or telephone pole. You know. The only one around! What’s the deal? You generally always hit what you pay attention to. Hmmm. Watch that pole when you’re sliding to a crash, and it’s almost certain you will hit it!

But when we are faced with a task that demands our full attention or energy; or dealing with a weirdly different personality; then perhaps we need to rethink our rush to speak. Or judgment. Or choosing. Even talking should be slowed down. Think long and hard about how you will handle the moment!

Slow Down!

Be slow to speak, and only after having first listened quietly, so that you may understand the meaning, leanings, and wishes of those who do speak. Thus you will better know when to speak and when to be silent.
~Ignatius

One actor says he received a lot of wisdom from John Wayne. “Talk low, talk slow, and don’t say too much.” Maybe this goes along with what James wrote in the New Testament.

So then, my beloved brethren,
let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath;
for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God.
(James 1:19-20 NKJV)

If We Would But…

Maybe the pace of life lends itself to quick decisions too often. The pressure of the sales, the rush to a decision, the choice you must make before the meeting ends…

You know, let’s make the deal before someone pulls the rug out from under us…

But that feels wrong. When there is a disaster brewing, then we may need to react quickly. Mostly, the ability to be quick comes from a long season of learning slowly.

Making Wise Choices

Long before it’s time for me to spend money on something I’ve wandered the shopping arena, comparing prices and options. For months, maybe even years, I think ahead to the big purchase. It’s when I’m rushed into buying before I’ve thought it through that most of my recriminations spring up and shout, “You Fool!”

• When I get a promise that seems too good to be true? Well, it’s probably a lie. Don’t get suckered into the vortex. Fight that swirl with all your mind and strength!
• Quit reading your spam folder! Equally, stop clicking on all those links in your emails! You never know what path those links will take. Stop It!
• If someone wants to argue a point, pause for about an hour or so! Maybe even for a week! Let their anger disperse or pile higher than ever. It does not’ matter. It’s all about you making a good choice!
• Signing on the dotted line quickly? Are you feeling pressured? Read the fine print. Even if it takes you all day. Consult an attorney! They know how to read for intent!

Well. I hope you get the point! Slow down! Or, in the famous words of Bob Newhart… “Stop It!“