We were talking about this at work last week, about what it was like in the days before computers. A Minister would want an answer writing for a PQ and it would have to be sent up by van on a memo, and would have to go back the same way, after first paying a visit to the typing pool of course. But now we get an e-mail and we have to write it before yesterday. But it doesn't mean we do more of them or they are any better, they just get answered more quickly.
Why is it important to be so speedy? It's as though we must have everything NOW. And the more we want everything NOW the more stressed we become as we try to achieve that, and so the cycle continues. In fact now, we even carry our work around with us on these Blackberry things, and people must work 24/7 so you can order a new pair of socks at 3am to be delivered by teatime next day.
Enough ruminating though,
I must get a shift on and answer this...
I'm not sure that Tolkien does think taking things slowly is the right way all of the time, as we see Gandalf borrowing the Red Rum of Middle-earth in order to get about as quickly as possible, and the Rohirrim rushing off towards Gondor when they must, and Frodo is rushed away from Bag End quite quickly after months of procrastination. Even Treebeard was shown that his slowness wasn't always appropriate and was roused to action.
I think Tolkien sought to show us that we shouldn't be hasty in
making decisions, but we should also not procrastinate when action is needed. A balanced view from him as ever.