On my last trip to Spain I got very impressed by the ancient architecture. I was especially impressed by the monumental buildings with their intricate, handmade decorations and ornaments.  I couldn’t help but wonder that such amazingly elaborate workmanship was achieved with limited technology and very simple tools. The construction of a palace or a church used to take many years, and they are still there, in their full glory, available to the visitors who can still admire their beauty after all these years. They are an amazing legacy to the old craft and workmanship.

When I look around today I see how the modern buildings mushroom in new neighborhoods within a few days. They are plain, ordinary, uniform and devoid of charm and character. Of course it’s all relative and a matter of taste. I myself wouldn’t like to live in a heavily decorated house, but I still have the impression that we aren’t necessarily developing in the best direction.

So what makes the difference between those monumental buildings of old and our modern, clone-like structures? My friend who was also my guide in Spain, had a simple answser….. time.

Back then, what had the highest value was splendor and artistry. Today the highest value is all about the speed and automation.  Back then, people used to take time to create something unique. Today we try to unify and automate the production processes in order to save minutes and minimize movements in a constant battle for more efficiency.

This reflects in many aspects of our life today. Where we used to send personal, handwritten letters, maybe even sprayed with fragrant, we send today text messages using abbreviations of even the short words.

Where we used to cook our meals from scratch, we buy today ready meals which land on our tables a few minutes after they had been opened.

Even an idle trip on a train isn’t idle anymore. People used to use this time for reflection or an opportunity to meet interesting people and today we simply continue working or we are so wrapped in our personal electronic bubble that we hardly notice we are on a train at all!

In which area of your life are you not taking time do create something remarcable? Do you take the time to make your relationships special? When you do have time, do you spend it on meaningful things? When you work, do you take the necessary time to pay attention to details which define exceptional success?

If time is money, being rich, yet we can’t take the time for things that really matter to us – doesn’t it then mean we are really poor?

Quotes

The great French Marshall Lyautey once asked his gardener to plant a tree. The gardener objected that the tree was slow growing and would not reach maturity for 100 years. The Marshall replied, 'In that case, there is no time to lose; plant it this afternoon!'

John F. Kennedy

The whole life of man is but a point of time; let us enjoy it.

Plutarch

An unhurried sense of time is in itself a form of wealth.

Bonnie Friedman

Movie

Carl Honore praises slowness