The Folly of Rushing

Reading time : 4 minutes

"Life is like walking along a long road shouldering a heavy load; there is no need to hurry.

One who treats difficulties as the normal state of affairs will never be discontented.

Patience is the source of eternal peace; treat anger as an enemy.

Harm will befall one who knows only success and has never experienced failure.

Blame yourself rather than others.

It is better not to reach than to go too far." - Tokugawa Ieyasu

Tokugawa Ieyasu, the first Shogun of the Edo period in Japan, recognised the folly of rushing. The above quote is displayed at his burial site, the Toshogu Shrine in Nikko national park. Fittingly, the waiting time to see the shrine and his grave sits somewhere between 1-2 hours.

The grave of the Shogun

Amid our bombarded lives which often hang threadbare in a state of organised chaos, a blurry line exists between rushing and being purposeful and efficient. Recently, I noticed a lady nearby who crossed the road whilst the pedestrian light was still red, much to the angst of the passing drivers. Soon after, I noticed that we had both routed through town after crossing, and ended up at arriving at the same point, at the same time. There was nothing to be gained from her attempt to speed things up at the crossing.

Does this make me the standard? Absolutely not. It was this very episode that led me to consider Ieyasu’s words more carefully and reflect on my own rushing. Progressing through life in a forceful, flustered manner is only to our hindrance, and whilst we may be trying to press on ahead to our goals, it is likely that we lose our sense of balance in the process, our sense of how2behuman.

We can avoid rushing yet still be efficient. Efficiency need not be defined by speed but rather by the intentionality and thoughtfulness with which we undertake tasks. When we are efficient, we are alert. Whilst we may not always arrive on time due to circumstances outside of our control, we will know how to adapt. Normally, rushing suggests a provisional lack of preparedness, a lack of thoughtfulness, and a lack of importance ascribed to each action.

In rushing, there is little to be gained, yet much to lose. Instead, let’s learn to be thoughtful, intentional, and efficient.