Softer, Wiser, Slower, Kinder

Source of inspiration: all about love by bell hooks

We live in a world that glorifies the mantra of "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger." It’s everywhere—an unrelenting push toward achievement, efficiency, and constant improvement. There’s no denying the power of this mindset. It’s led to extraordinary innovations—cities, libraries, even spaceships. As All About Love puts it, evolution has wired us with dreams of success, and it’s easy to see why. Progress, it seems, demands restlessness.

“Nature embeds in us insistent dreams of success. For the species, there must be an evolutionary advantage in being hardwired for such striving; restlessness has given us cities, libraries, spaceships. But this impulse doesn’t leave much opportunity for individual equilibrium. The price of a few works of genius throughout history is a substantial portion of the human race being daily sickened by anxiety and disappointment”

-- bell hooks, all about love

There’s a cost to this striving. When life becomes a race, we lose touch with something vital—our own sense of equilibrium. That drive for greatness can often leave us feeling anxious, disappointed, or like we’re never quite enough. The pursuit of more, faster, and better erodes the spaces where peace and fulfillment might otherwise flourish.

What if, instead of chasing harder and faster, we embraced softer? Wiser? What if we slowed down, and found kindness not only for others but also for ourselves? Imagine a world where success is measured by balance, connection, and well-being rather than relentless progress.

It’s not that ambition is wrong, but perhaps the key to a good life lies not in pushing ourselves harder, but in learning when to pause, reflect, and nurture the softer parts of our humanity.