slowdown

Slow down

by Bob on January 31, 2008

When a thought keeps coming to me all day, and I see things in a Jungian Synchronistic way all day, and then my internal head iPOD starts playing something relevant to it in my mind's eye and ear, I try to pay attention, for some higher force or perhaps a Jungian Collective Consciousness might be trying to tell me something important.

Shamans would agree with this point of view.

So, today, I was noticing how Boston "T" trains sort of stop at various predictable places between stations, presumably for safety or a mandatory slowdown at the convergence of many rail lines.

There's one place I always notice this happens. On the way to the South Shore from downtown Boston on the Red Line, just before reaching the JFK/UMASS station, I call it the "Komatsu" slowdown. This is because there is a gated lot which has a collection of mostly Komatsu heavy machinery trucks and steam shovels presumably for the MBTA for their track work. So we pause on the train ride, and I have Komatsu vehicles in front of me for a minute. It makes me think why we pause.

It also makes me think that humans should pause in their day and lives. For mental, spiritual and physical health at the very least. A kind of siesta of sorts.

When people are amongst a throng of others all running like a herd of cattle to a train or bus during rush hour, it's time to think about that kind of lifestyle. And it it's really necessary. Because it's just not healthy. It's stressful.

Running field races are good things but we don't do track running everyday. There is a competition and a track meet for runners, we run it, and then it's over, there are winners and losers and we pack up and go home. We're not supposed to live a life of constant running. Stress might very well cause many diseases. Even if timely stress if very necessary for survival like when primitive man had a "fight or flight response" and had to choose whether to fight a big bear or run from him. And either way, stress and dreaded fear were involved which due to the stress mobilised our bodies to do things we didn't normally do. Like run very fast, faster than we ever thought we could run, from the charging bear.

But if we live that way every second of the day, we get super-stressed out and our bodies and minds wear down.

Such is modern urban life it seems.

But, as a New Yorker, it's hard not to run for trains. It's in the blood. But if we do it all the time, it's bad for us.

So, the Jungian synchronistic song running through my head today at the Komatsu slowdown on the railway, was, in fact, the 1964 song "Slow Down" by The Beatles. Great song. It wasn't their song, but a their cover of a Larry Williams 12-bar blues song. But they did an excellent and brilliant rendition. The lead guitar riff is great too.

Then I also heard in my head the 1966 song "59th Street Bridge Song (Feeling Groovy)" by Simon and Garfunkel. It is also an excellent song and a kind of paean to my hometown, NYC. The Queensboro Bridge (called in the vernacular the 59th Street Bridge) is a major and congested bridge from the borough of Queens to the borough of Manhattan ("The Big Apple").

The lyrics say something like "Slow down/You move too fast/You've go to make the morning last" and ends which "Feeling groovy". That's if you can slow down like the song says.

Now if we are slowing down to sitting on a couch all day and night watching TV or playing video games, that's the wrong way to slow down if excessively done.

Everything in moderation, say most wise writings.

Slow down.