Pace

Here's a piece I wrote a while back. I found it while clearing up some old stuff. Enjoy!
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Andante, in music, refers to the speed of the piece to be set at a leisurely speed or a walking pace. However, if we were to play that piece set to a "walking pace" by today's standard, the piece will definitely be offensive for it will be too rushed. The breathless speed by which we are going in our everyday existence is certainly puzzling. Where are we rushing to?

This phenomenon cannot be further from the truth as evident from a recent shopping trip. I went window shopping with a friend and at one point, he asked me to cut through the throngs of people. I was utterly puzzled by his impatience for we were not in a rush nor do we have anything in particular to shop for. I asked him if he was rushing to get something and he remarked that everyone was walking too slowly and that we needed to walk at a proper pace. What is this "proper pace" and why is it that fast?

To me, we are rushing headlong into madness. It is as if we were trying to retain the sand of the hourglass as much as possible but we are found helpless as we see it slip through our fingers. Our preoccupation with efficiency and productivity has consumed us so much that it eats into our leisure hours instead of it being confined to the workplace. This is due to the fact that we anchor the stability of our lives to all things material; money buys us comfort and stability. This sets us up to acquire "enough" money to secure our future. But how much is indeed enough?

Have we forgotten that our emotional and spiritual well-being is the only key to our happiness? Our quest for comfort and luxury is to pander to our own happiness. It also panders to our pride in the ability to enjoy a sense of achievement. The reason that we may have such a preoccupation could be due to the fact that material gains has an immediate and readily available effect of comfort. Thus, we happily delude ourselves and go for short-term fulfillment.

However, our spiritual and emotional well being lies in the relationships we have with others, self, God and our personal beliefs. Ironically, these are things that are truly tangible for it lasts and determines our present and future. This is definitely different from the wealth and pride that we pursue which do not last.

Therefore, my gentle readers, the next time we find ourselves flustered and rushing for no rhyme or reason, I urge you to think of what andante means, take a deep breath, smile and travel life's journey in a walking pace. For those who are not familiar with andante, indulge in one of Mozart's famous work below!