In the world we live in today where advancements in technology allow us to readily access information instantly and receive immediate feedback, we are no longer patient people. Society has created devices and systems that take the waiting out of pretty much everything such as fast food, instant banking on our phones, and the ever-present Wikipedia that all allow us to look up information or accomplish a task in no time at all. Although these things are all advantageous at times, we have become desensitized to what it’s like to actually wait on things and it shows in our everyday lives.

Now don’t get me wrong, I too use all these things on pretty much a daily basis and I am also impatient when it comes to certain activities. Recently I’ve noticed that people, in general, are extremely impatient when it comes to either parking their cars or getting their equipment before their trip, but it’s not just in canoe customers. All over the world, people are getting more and more impatient because of the readily accessible “quick lanes” that are in our grasp and to be honest, it’s not a good thing. If we can’t be patient with the simplest things like making dinner or going to the bank, how can we be patient with matters that are much worse? I understand that some things take a while and we can be patient with those particular events, but unexpected events or circumstances are what I see people becoming constantly frustrated with.

I’m not saying that I’m the most patient person in the world because I know I’m far from it, but I’m trying to bring awareness to society and the ways we go about daily activities and attempt to become just a little more patient. Personally, I believe it is impatience that leads to the massive amounts of violence and disagreement in the world and leads to individuals not being able to wait for anything and getting upset then taking unnecessary action.

We are often much too quick to jump to solutions now since we have information at our fingertips which then leads to our impatient ways and agitated attitudes. Why can’t we just slow down a bit and wait for things? Even if it’s just the simple things, just wait a little longer and it will feel more satisfying knowing that you put the time into accomplishing a task. I may sound a bit old or out of sync with the modern world when saying this, but I believe it is true in order to appreciate ourselves and others more as well as cutting down on the violence caused due to impatience between groups or countries.

So I ask those of my generation and others not to change our daily activities, but to change our mindsets as that is what will lead to a more patient and tolerant world where terrorism and police/civilian interactions are what they should be. I know I am impatient at times, but who isn’t? We need to become more patient as a whole in order to make positive change and taking baby steps is going to help more than one might imagine. So let’s become more patient before we soon regret our decisions in the future or the decisions of others because we simply couldn’t wait an extra five minutes before we judged somebody or do some things we know is wrong or out of prejudice judgment.