Earlier this week I came across a concept, a worldwide "slow movement", which sums up and gives voice to what many of the folks in Qualicum Beach are striving to achieve and maintain for our town. It is not a new concept, but to learn that there is actually a worldwide organization, with its own Manifesto and Charter, designed to promote a slower, more traditional way of life, was new to me.
It's called Cittaslow, and I encourage people to look it up on Wikipedia.
There is much more information on Cittaslow Organization's webpage, outlining their Charter and Manifesto, as well as other websites with information on the "slow movement" in general. Much emphasis is placed on maintaining the unique character of each community and its outlying areas, and avoiding the cultural mediocrity of today's modern settings and way of life.
Those of us who favor careful thought and planning for Qualicum Beach, whose priorities seem so totally adverse to today's develop-expand-grow-no-matter-what philosophy, are obviously not so "backward" after all. Other parts of the world are beginning to realize that there may be some value to doing things the old way, and what passes for progress and development is nothing more than just another source of stress - for its citizens, and the earth itself.
Lesley Winter
Qualicum Beach