If the recent France vs Spain World Cup semi-final taught us anything, it’s that raw speed and aggressive attacking prowess are not the sole ingredients for success.
Spain’s masterclass on the pitch reminded us that true control often comes from the deliberate choice to slow down, read the play, and dictate the tempo (well I do admit some bias as a proud Spain supporter who has bled red and yellow since their iconic 2010 World Cup victory against the Netherlands—ah, the glory days of Iniesta and Xavi!).
It was a potent metaphor for a broader life lesson: sometimes, slowing down is the only way to achieve a larger victory.
Yet, living this truth is easier said than done. Like many of you, I often find myself running relentlessly from one task to the next. We exist in a culture that treats speed as a badge of honor and productivity as the ultimate metric of worth.
The news industry is famously a treadmill; we sprint from one breaking event to another, trapped in a cycle of immediate reaction.
But when we are constantly running, we miss the scenery. We can only ever see the bigger picture, and appreciate the finer details of our lives, by actively choosing to step off the accelerator.
This need to pause is no longer just about personal well-being; it has become an urgent societal necessity.
With the rise of AI and the rapid spread of digital disinformation, the digital environment increasingly rewards sensationalism over substance. In this climate, slowing down to fact-check and seek the truth is more critical than ever.
This sentiment resonated strongly at the Singapore Press Club Awards Night on July 15.
In her opening address, Minister Indranee Rajah highlighted a profound truth about our craft that applies equally to our daily lives: “Trust is hard-won. It requires high levels of professionalism and capability; the ability to operate with both speed and accuracy. But above all, it requires belief in certain values and the willingness to invest the time and effort to put those values into effect.”
Building anything of lasting value, be it credible journalism, deep relationships, or personal peace, requires us to invest that most precious, non-renewable resource: time.
As the Shaolin monk Master Shi Heng Yi wisely notes, one of the first steps to embracing the present moment is to realise that a perfect world does not exist.
We cannot control the frantic pace of the world around us, but we can control our response to it. By embracing the present moment, releasing the need to manage the unpredictable, and taking intentional, quiet time to look inward, we find our footing.
Slow down today. The world can wait.
