You are inside a state-of-the-art car speeding at 180 kph (112 mph). The seats embrace your body perfectly; there is total silence inside. The insulation is so effective that the battle between the tires and the asphalt reaches you only as a peaceful hum. In your right hand, you hold your favorite coffee; it is steaming, its aroma filling your senses. You are cocooned inside a machine, speeding at 180 kph.
But when you turn your head to the window, you confront a strange truth: The outside world is "missing." Those magnificent forests are merely a green blur, the quaint towns a gray streak and the sky nothing more than an indistinct blue. Your eyes cannot focus on anything. Although your body is passing through that landscape, your soul cannot touch a single thing. Speed is devouring the scenery. You take a sip of your coffee, but even the pleasure you derive falls victim to the rush of speed. Because as velocity increases, the "moment" fades away, leaving behind only the obsessive desire for the destination.
Mathematics of speed
This is where Milan Kunderaβs voice echoes from the backseat of that speeding car and whispers the striking equation from his book "Slowness": "The degree of s
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