In 2021, we live in a world that prides itself on challenging the principles of time. Faster gadgets, artificial intelligence and nano technologies are reframing the way we live.

Today all our desires can be fulfilled faster than yesterday. If money has been paid, the return needs to be immediate. For generation Alpha (born 2010 and later) this is the norm; for the Millennials (born 1981 – 96) and Gen Z (1997 and after), it’s an acceptable pace of digitisation, but for many who belong to earlier generations, these are crazy times. Irrespective of adoption, though, fast-and-faster is here to stay, so we might as well embrace it. But with the right health warnings!

Fast food products need much larger text warnings to highlight additives and preservatives alongside the health impacts of continued consumption. The booming e-commerce industry, fuelling expectations of reduced delivery times, needs to keep an eye on its environmental impact, what with more delivery boys bringing more vehicles on the road and the consequent intensified dependence on fossil fuel resources.

Besides, talk about fast fashion and the stats get scary. The fashion industry emits 10% of annual global emissions and is the second-largest consumer of water, a situation worsened only by the fact that 85% of textiles are wasted annually. Surely something needs to be done.

While people consider new ideas, including second-hand clothes, tips to make clothes last longer and alternative fabric, there is more to be done to change mindsets from ‘I want new and I want it now’ to exploring alternative possibilities.

Clearly, we are feasting on all that is fast. But how long before the negative impacts on health and the environment are so deep that it will take too long to reverse the effects? Can we slow down? Maybe. How? Perhaps when the alternative is no more an alternative but becomes mainstream. When will that happen? Only when all of us make little changes in our lives, daily, slowly. So, let’s get going. Surely, the faster we are in slowing down, the better off we will all be.