I'm enjoying your reflection thoughts here. Sitting in the fire definitely seems and may even feel counterproductive at first, but it's where we establish our roots, and also where we discover the root cause of why we feel the way we feel.
Slowing down is something I'd love to teach to our youth. We truly ARE conditioned to think it's a crazy fast rat maze, when in reality, it's whatever we say it is.
Cheers!