I don't know when or
where the concept of patience began to change but it's something truly
disturbing in recent years and is something worth mentioning.
Everything, everywhere, and at anytime is available within seconds. Cell phones give us the answers to the questions we have. Food is ready in less than 30 seconds. Packages can be shipped to your house in two days or less. And out of that what do we get? A society that revolves around the expediency of consumerism. It's really astonishing how kids my age but especially those younger than me have no tolerance for something that takes more than five minutes.
Why do I bring this up at all? Why am I worried that things are taking less time?
My mother always tells me that good things come to those who wait. Yes I understand, if something can come quicker why wouldn't you have it? But does that still hold the same value?
What I'm talking about is something more involved than the consumerist aspect.
The most fundamental idea of patience is the pay-off that comes thereafter. As a kid you would sit patiently for your mother to finish in the hopes that she would get you an ice cream. When taking piano or guitar lessons, you would practice daily in order to one day see the results you wanted. As you get older you become friends with them, in hopes of one day being to trust them with your darkest secrets. This all takes time and.... patience.
The cycle of time and waiting has started to shrink and with that, so has the patience of many people. A time where our dependency did not rely on how fast things would happen, was a time when we could really understand the value of the service or product. We, for the most part, have become so reliant on the expediency of these things that we forget that behind your food came the sweat of a hard worker. We forget that behind the clothes you ordered online, there was someone sewing every stitch. We forget that behind each person we meet lies an entirely different set of baggage than you ever imagined.
Does it mean that because it takes longer we shouldn't take the time? The exact opposite. We should take the time to understand our surroundings before we not only lose touch with the world around us but also with ourselves. Patience is the one main thing we control and one that can change our perception as we continue to grow.
