The language of our time is speed. The language of our time is fast. The language of our time is hurried and driven. So many people speak this language. So many parents and children, and therefore families, speak it loudly and clearly and are therefore drifting further and further apart. Young and old alike are increasingly becoming addicted to fast, hurried living and speed. This places enormous pressure on the already very fragile relationships we see in families today.
Many parents are under the impression that, for the sake of their children, they must be busier, work harder, and do more. This is an absolute illusion. Your child wants more of you, not more of your busyness. Your child wants more of your humanity and less of your money and possessions. Your child longs for you.
The statistics on rest and relaxation are shocking. In the USA, more than 14 percent of the population already say that they get no time to rest or relax. Forty percent say they have very little time to relax. Sixty-five percent of working mothers are desperate because they have too little or no time to relax, while 55 percent of working fathers already fall into that category. Relaxation is becoming a luxury, and who suffers because of it? Obviously, today’s relational life, starting with spouses and family relationships. We neglect one another. Perhaps someone needs to say it clearly, directly, and honestly: this is not good. It harms you and the people around you.
In the very hurried and competitive culture in which we live today, the things that are neglected are things like eating together as a family, spending time around a braai fire, going away together for weekends, or having quality holidays together. Where is the so-called “connectedness” that everyone talks about? It has gone out the back door. It disappears like mist before the sun because of speed, rushing, and competing.
… and all the while, research today clearly shows that everyone in a family — father, mother, and children (and the dog and the cat too, let me add) — longs for deeper, intimate relationships. Therefore … slow down for me.
Written by Johan Smith