The Pace of a City in Crisis: What Washington’s Streets Reveal About Us

Even during a government shutdown, the race doesn’t stop. What does that say about our national psyche?

Walking the streets near the Capitol this morning, I saw something that surprised me. But maybe it shouldn’t have.

Even with the government partially shut down, at 7:30 this morning the sidewalks were full of people. I fully admit that I’m a fast walker, as my wife will be quick to attest, but I was being passed by like I was standing still. People moved at a near jogging pace. Some with AirPods, others clutching coffee, many alone. Almost all with a determined look or no look at all. Blank stares. furrowed brows, and silent focus. They moved like people who had somewhere important to be, even as the institution they served had, in many ways, come to a standstill.

And I found myself asking: Why are we still running when everything else is stalled?

In one sense, the answer is simple. Jobs must be done. Not everyone is furloughed, and life keeps moving. But at another level, this scene speaks to something deeper. Something about the American condition. About our identity and our systems. About how we process disruption.

Speed as Identity

There’s a unique irony in watching people rush through the heart of a city whose government is effectively offline. It’s as if the machine isn’t allowed to rest, even when it’s broken.

We’ve tied productivity to identity so tightly that the idea of slowing down, even when it might make sense, feels like failure. The many young professionals I witnessed in DC this morning mirror what can be increasingly seen in cities across America. Speed equals relevance.

To be busy is to be worthy. And so we keep running.

Even if no one is entirely sure where we’re going.

Crisis as the New Normal

One of the most concerning patterns in modern American life is how quickly crisis becomes normalized. A government shutdown used to be a rare and startling event. Now it’s part of the news cycle. Expected. Politicized. Managed like any other calendar event.

The same goes for outrage, economic instability, and even political violence. We move through these moments without pause. As if nothing can interrupt the hustle. The wheels keep turning. Just faster, with fewer checks, fewer balances, and often, less humanity.

Washington, DC is both symbol and symptom here. It’s not just where the government functions or fails. It’s where the values of a system are most visible. And when I see hurried faces pressing forward without clear direction, I see more than ambition. I see exhaustion.

Holding Steady in a Culture That Can’t Slow Down

We often hear calls for moderation in politics. For balanced leadership. For calmer discourse. But we hear less about the need for rooted people. Men and women who live from a place of conviction. Who know who they are in Christ and don’t lose themselves in the noise.

The truth is, real leadership isn’t just about ideas or outcomes. It’s also about how we carry ourselves through the storm. It’s about pace. About presence.

In an age of constant motion and mounting pressure, the choice to live grounded in faith and guided by the Spirit might be one of the most countercultural stands we can take. It means learning to walk at God’s pace instead of the culture’s. It takes discernment. Stillness. The courage to pause, even when everyone else is sprinting.

As I stood there watching the flow of people, I didn’t feel judgment. I felt sadness. These were not bad people. Many are idealistic, bright, and deeply committed. But they’re caught in a system that rarely stops and almost never invites rest. And at some point, we have to ask not just as Christians, but as citizens what are we sacrificing on the altar of constant motion?