My friend Lindsay sent me a link to this podcast episode where Blair Hodges interviews John Swinton about time and disability and theology. It’s a great interview, highly recommended.
I loved this reframing:
What’s the problem with having Down Syndrome? The answer is nothing. Unless you live in a society that values intellect, and reason, and speed, and quick thinking over relationships, community, friendship, and love.
And this (which I’ve compressed a bit from the original):
If you’ve ever spent any time with somebody with a profound intellectual disability, or somebody with advanced dementia, then you know that you can’t go quickly, you need to slow down, and you need to take time for those things that the time of the world just can’t even see. In a world that passes people by, somebody needs to slow down and spend time with those who God adores.
And, last but not least, this:
The thing that marks the body of Christ is diversity, not uniformity.
Looking forward to reading John’s book Becoming Friends of Time, which seems like it might pair well with In Praise of Slowness. (And his other books, too.)