There’s a shift underway in our world. The days when everyone believed that quantity and speed were always better are on the decline. The idea that having more stuff, making more money, and being busier is the path to happiness is more and more outdated.

Whatever the reason, a lot of people are moving towards doing and having less, while  increasing the quality of what they do choose to have in their lives. The Slow Movement is a great example of this shift.

What does this mean for us do gooders? We often feel the pressure to do more and more – the invitations to get involved with this project or that movement never let up. Knowing how much need there is in the world (and how much opportunity to make things better) it can be hard to say ‘no’.

So many do gooders find themselves caught up in the frenzy of fast: spread thin; sometimes burning out; often doing a large quantity of low-quality work; often unaware of what the impact of our scattered efforts even is.

Slow

Slow but steady…onwards and upwards.

But why not apply the slow philosophy to do gooding? Wouldn’t it be better to do less, but do it better? Wouldn’t it be more rewarding to do so little that we can actually follow through and know what happens as a result? Wouldn’t it increase our chances of getting better at it? Wouldn’t it safeguard our sanity and the level of passion we’re able to sustain for the work we do choose to do?

It’s not easy – the shift is not complete. The pressure is still there to slip into the cult of ‘more, faster’. The invitations and solicitations won’t stop coming. But the change is happening, and it’s a good one. Why not choose to be a part of it?