By Father Theophan
Saint Job of Pochaiv Orthodox Church
Los Alamos
You can thank the U.S. Navy Seals for this nugget of wisdom although it may go back as far as Napoleon. “Slow is smooth, smooth is fast.” It seems counter-intuitive or at least paradoxical.
However, it is so true in so many facets of life, especially in the pottery workshop. Precious little in pottery is improved by doing it quickly, and there is a lot that can be ruined in an instant of inattention. Often on-line videos of potters throwing will be sped up, so that they are less boring to watch, and potters who throw in real time, and quickly, are well practiced in mass production.
There is no time limit for centering the clay (thank goodness it is so, sometimes it is a struggle). The walls can be pulled up at a leisurely pace. In fact, it is easier to keep the pot centered when the pulls are slow. The throwing rings, the ridges left by the potter’s fingers on the side of the pot, are evidence of the speed in which the pulls are made in relation to the rotation of the wheel. Closely spaced rings indicate relatively slow pulling, whereas wide rings prove the opposite. Neither is essentially better than the other, but they produce different visual effects. And the throwing rings can be removed after the pot has reached its final height with the application of a smoothing rib.
So the potter takes their time, prepping the clay, centering the clay, pulling the walls, finishing the rim, finishing the foot, letting the pot dry evenly, trimming the foot, et cetera, ad nauseum. It is a long process, each step of which, if hurried, can destroy the final product. But if proper time is taken, patience exercised, and attention given, then beautiful things are created.
If rushed, nothing useful is produced, and the shard pile grows. It is the same with us, with any of our work. Doing it properly may take time, but it almost always takes less time than doing it twice. Proper tools, proper planning, proper preparation all take time, but all work to give our final product a better chance of success.
But it is not just our work, our lives can also benefit from this approach. Taking our time and making good faith efforts in connection with family and friends slowly builds personal emotional capital. It strengthens bonds and secures our emotional support system and it makes our minds and hearts healthier. Relationships take years of care to secure, and only moments, careless words or insensitive actions, to destroy. But people cannot and should not be thrown onto the shard pile.
They may take years to develop, but the strength of healthy long-lasting relationships is a beautiful thing that can sustain us in difficult times.
Care in each step of a lengthy process can be daunting, especially for those of impatient constitution. But if we slow it down, and do things right, we won’t have to repair and patch or redo our efforts. And in the end our work, our lives, and even maybe our pottery will be beautiful.
"smooth" - Google News
September 25, 2020 at 09:58PM
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Father Theophan: Slow Is Smooth, Smooth Is Fast - Los Alamos Daily Post
"smooth" - Google News
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