Turkey: Final Thoughts 1

I am now writing this a week removed from the elderly lands of Turkey. I am writing now for two reasons: first of all, one very important lesson I have been taught, and reminded of continuously as I grow up, is to "slow down." I have done my best to transfer this concept to both the tangible and the intangible aspects of my life. One intangible, yet very powerful, aspect to my life that I have attempted to adapt this to is my judgment. I will not argue that snap judgment and "in-the-moment" emotions can be very powerful; but I have found time and time again that life can be much more revealing and impressionable when observed with a patient eye. The emotions and thoughts firing in my head while I traveled through Turkey were incredible, but only now am I really starting to feel the effects of everything I saw and felt.
The second reason for me waiting until now to write: the American hustle and bustle. I do not wish to bash the fast pace American lifestyle, I have grown past my naive bashing of America; but I do believe that America could use some much needed constructive criticism. It was inevitable upon my return stateside that I would be tossed back into a lifestyle where the notion of free time simply means more time to schedule something. I am a perpetual culprit of this lifestyle, and this is why it feels so good to get away its grip once in a while. Many of the people I met in Turkey have a very unique outlook on time that seems to be a shared sentiment throughout the country. There is a realization that time exists on many more levels than just forward. Tea/Coffee is not used to keep people moving, it is used to slow people down, to allow people time to sit down and talk, think, or just stare at the trees. Life is short and time is precious, and we Americans could benefit once in a while by slowing down.