Life In Slow Forward
Our schedule at Six Flags:
Rides
Great American Scream Machine: 2:20
Nitro: 2:20 x 2 = 4:40
Medusa: 2:20
Rolling Thunder: 2:10
Total: 11 min 30 sec.
Lines
Great American Scream Machine: ~60 min
Nitro: ~160 m
Medusa: ~60 min
Rolling Thunder: ~45 min
Total: 325 min = 5 hours 25 min
It's amazing that we were able to spend 325 minutes waiting for rides that we spent a mere 11 and a half minutes actually riding on. Even with the ridiculous wait times, though, the day turned out to be a pleasant time of casual social banter, spotted with short bursts of scream infused bonding that consisted mostly of being hurtled together at extremely high speeds through deceptively smooth reams of twisted metal. Even at a 28:1 ratio of wait to ride times, I am very glad that I spent the entire day with my friends at Six Flags.
In our culture today, waiting for anything is the source of much complaint and irritation. In the old days (before I was alive), things were much different. Transportation was slow, physical expenditure was required for days, or even weeks, just to attend disproportionately short events, and a great deal of hard work and patience was required to carefully craft personal items, one piece at a time.
Today, not only have we grown impatient, but we have forgotten how to actually enjoy a slower pace of life. Efficiency and productivity are our mottos and elongated episodes of downtime are quickly berated. I, too, often find myself caught up in the shuffle of instant gratification, with each moment of expected satisfaction only bringing about a longing for the next novel experience. This causes me to burn through experiences that, if I only took a bit of extra time to savor, would I realize my great loss in swallowing much too quickly.
Because it is so easy to cast these "inefficiencies" in a negative light, I sometimes make a deliberate effort to take longer or work harder at otherwise easily attainable things. An effort to slow down just a little. Almost every time I do this, I am pleasantly surprised by just how refreshing the extra time invested proves to be. Not only is hard work more satisfying, but because life is so busy, times like commuting on the bus, hand washing the car, waiting on long lines with friends or just killing time with strangers often turn out to be the most precious moments of my life.
Rides
Great American Scream Machine: 2:20
Nitro: 2:20 x 2 = 4:40
Medusa: 2:20
Rolling Thunder: 2:10
Total: 11 min 30 sec.
Lines
Great American Scream Machine: ~60 min
Nitro: ~160 m
Medusa: ~60 min
Rolling Thunder: ~45 min
Total: 325 min = 5 hours 25 min
It's amazing that we were able to spend 325 minutes waiting for rides that we spent a mere 11 and a half minutes actually riding on. Even with the ridiculous wait times, though, the day turned out to be a pleasant time of casual social banter, spotted with short bursts of scream infused bonding that consisted mostly of being hurtled together at extremely high speeds through deceptively smooth reams of twisted metal. Even at a 28:1 ratio of wait to ride times, I am very glad that I spent the entire day with my friends at Six Flags.
In our culture today, waiting for anything is the source of much complaint and irritation. In the old days (before I was alive), things were much different. Transportation was slow, physical expenditure was required for days, or even weeks, just to attend disproportionately short events, and a great deal of hard work and patience was required to carefully craft personal items, one piece at a time.
Today, not only have we grown impatient, but we have forgotten how to actually enjoy a slower pace of life. Efficiency and productivity are our mottos and elongated episodes of downtime are quickly berated. I, too, often find myself caught up in the shuffle of instant gratification, with each moment of expected satisfaction only bringing about a longing for the next novel experience. This causes me to burn through experiences that, if I only took a bit of extra time to savor, would I realize my great loss in swallowing much too quickly.
Because it is so easy to cast these "inefficiencies" in a negative light, I sometimes make a deliberate effort to take longer or work harder at otherwise easily attainable things. An effort to slow down just a little. Almost every time I do this, I am pleasantly surprised by just how refreshing the extra time invested proves to be. Not only is hard work more satisfying, but because life is so busy, times like commuting on the bus, hand washing the car, waiting on long lines with friends or just killing time with strangers often turn out to be the most precious moments of my life.
posted by Daniel at 9:40 PM
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