Faster

Years ago I read James Gleick‘s first and most famous book “Chaos” which is the classic outcount of the discovery of the concept of Chaos is science. More recently, in his third book “Faster” (which I picked up in the local Oxfam shop), Gleick has turned his hand to an exploration of time and, in particular, how our concepts of time have changed in the modern age with everything becoming faster, more hurried, more vital and more rushed. This book is written in quite short sections, each one an essay on some aspect of our perception or interaction with time. I enjoyed reading this book, especially as many of Gleick’s ideas chime with thoughts I have myself about how complexity, choice and urgency are together disrupting our lives and creating an unnecessarily rushed world. The chapter on waiting (or not waiting) for lifts was particularly challenging to me, partly because it came early in the book and partly because it provided me with an immediate opportuity to challenge my behaviour and slow down (while waiting for lifts at work). So, all in all, I enjoyed this book and got something out of reading it – a desire to slow down and a sense of purpose to do so.