Via Basel: So Simple, So Difficult

Art by Zoe Pawlak

So Simple, So Difficult

Slow. Steadfast. Sustainable. These three words may seem simple, but they hold immense power in any area of life. Whether you’re navigating personal growth, business, or health, they can help guide you toward your goals. Individually, each word carries weight. Together, they amplify each other, creating a potent force that can drive meaningful, lasting change.

At the core of slowness is patience—an ability to move with accuracy and intention, rather than rushing toward an arbitrary finish line. This type of progress is less about the passage of time and more about the quality of movement. It allows a natural unfolding of processes according to their own timetable. Steadfastness, on the other hand, is the commitment to keep moving forward, even when distractions arise. It’s about staying true to your course and returning to it with purpose, no matter how often you might veer off track. Sustainability is the third pillar: the idea that the process you engage in must be generative and enduring. It requires wise resource management, ensuring that your efforts can sustain themselves over time.    

In today’s fast-paced, unpredictable world, everything moves at lightning speed—often in ways that are unsustainable. Whether in our work, health, or play, we’re all caught up in a whirlwind of constant change and consumption. From an environmental standpoint, we are on an accelerated path toward collapse. But instead of diving into the harsh realities of climate change, I want to focus on two critical areas where these three principles—slow, steadfast, and sustainable—can make a significant difference in your life: the economy and health.

The Economy: Growth at What Cost?

Our obsession with economic growth, material wealth, and competition has led us to a zero-sum mindset. This mentality tells us that if someone gains, someone else must lose. Decades of this approach have not made us happy, fulfilled, or content. Instead, we are caught in a perpetual cycle of striving for more, with greed constantly fueling our desires.

In the business world, companies often prioritize quarterly profits over long-term stability. Few people find true fulfillment in their work, and many become workaholics at the expense of other life priorities. My experience in small medical practices over the past four decades has given me a front-row seat to this system’s flaws. Good doctors have overworked themselves, at the expense of family life, and good staff, though paid market value, have suffered financially while supporting doctors paid at a phenomenally higher rate. While my perspective is limited, it doesn’t take an economist or psychologist to recognize that something is wrong.

The sad truth is that it is entirely possible to create a successful business model that prioritizes thoughtful consideration of what truly matters: providing services or products that improve people’s lives with minimal negative impact. This model includes equitable profit-sharing, ensuring that all levels of workers benefit. While I don’t claim to have all the answers to economic challenges, I am confident that applying the principles of slow, steadfast, and sustainable will lead to better outcomes.

Health: Slowing Down to Thrive

The same principles can be applied to our health and well-being. Consider these three areas where we can benefit from slowing down: eating, breathing, and thinking.

1. Eating: In our fast-paced world, we often rush through meals, barely tasting or chewing our food. By slowing down—taking time to savor, chew, and swallow—we aid digestion, prolong our enjoyment, and improve our ability to control our weight. Our brains have a delay mechanism that requires time to process satiety signals, and when we slow down, we give ourselves the space to feel full.
2. Breathing: The average person breathes at about 16 breaths per minute. By slowing this rate to less than 10 breaths per minute, we can create more efficient, calming breaths. Techniques like equal inhalation and exhalation, 6 per minute (coherent breathing*), or focusing on longer exhalations, practiced for just 10-15 minutes daily, can have a profound impact on your stress levels and overall well being.
3. Thinking: Our minds are often racing, distracted by a million thoughts. By taking time to quiet this mental chatter—even just a little—we can increase our happiness, reduce reactivity, and feel more accomplished. Daily mindfulness practice is an essential tool for this.

The best part about these practices? They’re free, available to anyone, and can be done anywhere. No need for special equipment, gadgets, or gym memberships. They don’t take much time, but they do require discipline, intentionality, and a shift in our habits. These are qualities that, unfortunately, many of us struggle to maintain in our fast-paced modern lives. Can you prove me wrong? If you’re doubtful about my claims, I encourage you to research them yourself using peer-reviewed scientific sources.

A Call

To those of you affected by the chaos and cruelty unfolding in our society these days, I sometimes feel that what I write here is trivial in comparison to the greater struggles at play. And yet, I firmly believe that the principles of slow, steadfast, and sustainable are vital to achieving any lasting change. If we are to resist the forces of oppression, these principles must guide our actions, helping us to stay grounded and united in our pursuit of justice. Finally, a sense of peace underlying all of our actions above can make them bring joy and happiness in our hearts even under the most difficult circumstances. 

*Breath: the New Science of a Lost Art by James Nestor

Are Pleasant Feelings Happiness? Excerpt from a talk by Thich Nhat Hahn

Basel Al-Aswad, father of EIL founder Christopher Al-Aswad, is a yogi trapped in an Orthopedic Surgeon’s body. His loves in life include reading, writing, hiking, enjoying nature, meditation, and spending time with his large Iraqi family; now, semi-retired, he is exploring new avenues in medicine, education, public speaking, teaching, and social engagement.