During a startling heat wave last May I advised slowing down as the best way to respond to it, both for happiness and to contain our carbon emissions. And now that my town (Portland, Oregon) is gripped with unusual amounts of snow and ice, I advise we slow down, snuggle in, and telework, walk or use public transit if possible, rather than drive or try to conduct business as usual.
Why? Driving in these conditions is risky, prone to accidents and stressful. But on the most basic level, winter is about slowing down. Look at the natural world: everything slows down in the cold weather to conserve energy. Plants and animals literally become conservative: they don’t even try to grow or conduct business as usual. They hunker down and keep things really simple.
And the 99.9 percent of human beings prior to you and me in human history did the same thing in wintertime. Not that many centuries ago in snowy Europe, people removed the wheels from their carts altogether in winter and hung one of them on their door. They decorated them with evergreens, and that is how our custom of holiday wreaths on doors got started. Our ancestors were slowing down for the winter, letting go of traveling around on business as usual. It wasn’t safe or wise to do that, given the weather.
Moreover, trying to make winter months like every other month means we’re burning enormous amounts of fossil fuels, which creates the carbon emissions that drive global warming. Slowing ourselves down slows down that vicious cycle of carbon emissions.
If you feel you can’t afford to slow down because you’ve got no savings, possibly you’re living beyond your means and need to reduce your expenses. See my posts on a low-cost Christmas; slashing your electricity bill; breaking free of credit cards; and being happy while spending little.
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