Sloths United

I was saying to a friend that I wished we were rich (finally!) and sitting on a beach somewhere and she pointed out that after a while we’d be bored and lack a sense of purpose. She would be right. I laughed back saying that we could set up a foundation to keep our sense of purpose and name it “Sloths United.” She jokingly agreed it was a good idea, but I decided to take it a step further and run my idea through ChatGPT to see how one might set up a foundation for “sloths” and what it might entail.

To my amazement, ChatGPT loved this idea and offered a few good points to consider, such as being a “sloth” doesn’t have to mean “laziness” or “boredom." Instead, it suggested a deeper connection to taking things slowly. As I considered the answers to ChatGPT's suggestions, it made me wonder what our sloth-nature might look like if we allowed ourselves to go at a slower pace, on purpose. Would we, for example, give ourselves more permission to rest? Would we reconsider our intrinsic value if we weren't producing something? Would we ask ourselves about our mental health, feelings of burnout or exhaustion, or hold a space for sadness or trauma? I imagine the list could be endless if we really slowed things down. Perhaps by going at full speed most of the time, we avoid considering those questions. We may be asking ourselves, "if I slow down, take a look at things, and see how I really am, will I suddenly find I’m not happy?"

While it’s true there is a risk to stopping and taking stock of our feelings, there is something fundamental about wishing for a slower, steadier time to get in touch with our inner sloth, whatever that may be. It’s important to say to ourselves that we are allowed to matter even when we feel tired, burned out, or unhappy. The deeper feelings might have a chance to emerge, to be given space, and receive some much-needed support and care. Sloth nature is inside us all ... and we don’t have to do this alone.

Interested in exploring your sloth nature? Contact me here.