The slow family
“Family” is a powerful word. It carries much more weight than “community” and certainly more weight than “culture.” In this blog I briefly explore a concept I call the “slow family” and how I feel it could be an aid in achieving “global health” and “participatory culture.”
Most, post-modern families have subjective values, undefined roles, and their lifestyles tend to be more concerned with extrinsic motivation rather than intrinsic motivation. They celebrate each others materialistic achievements because they matter the most. Extrinsic motivation is about fulfilling tangible cravings and rewards. Intrinsic motivation is more concerned with personal development, demonstrating personality in ways both creative and productive. We all know that young children are highly suggestible. They are also highly insatiable.
I am not a child development expert. However, it doesn’t take a genius to realize that people are highly motivated and conditioned to keep food in their bellies. If you examine old television shows we often see children sent to their room to either eat later, after the family, or to eat in solitude. I always thought it was funny that I never experienced this.
However, I digress. I am not advocating child starvation. I believe it is cruel. Children should not be punished by using food. I do want us to think about family’s eating habits. I want us to think about how families sit down to share time together. I want us to think about the experience of eating slowly, while reflecting upon our lives, our roles, and our relationships is invaluable.
The slow family is a symbol of “participatory culture” because they listen, and do not condemn. They question, but do not assume they know everything. They participate in consciously creating a culture whereby all members feel their roles as sons, daughters, fathers, sisters, mothers, and brothers emerging in meaningful ways that a post-modern family w
