When You Think About It: Instant Gratification.

F LoBuono

We're getting soft. Well, at least I think that I am. We get so used to so-called creature comforts that the slightest interruption in the routine that provides for our well being can cause us great angst. And, we take so much of it for granted.

Case in point:

It was a cool but pleasant night when I entered my car for my drive into the City and work. In fact, considering the time of year, it was unseasonably warm. I figured that once I got in the car, it would be warm enough for me to wear just a light jacket. I dressed accordingly. I turned the ignition key, fired up the engine, and tuned the radio to get a traffic report. I began my journey. After a short while, I noticed that it was starting to get a bit chilly inside of the car. Initially I shrugged off the cold. I thought to myself, jeez, you're not really going to turn the heat on. It's not THAT cold. Now, I know that it may sound silly but I like to test myself in little ways. And, this could be one of those ways. Why not acclimate yourself to the cooler temperatures? You know, be one with your environment without looking to change/improve it all of the time.

Well, after about 15 minutes, I started to really notice just how cold I was getting. Now, let's be clear - it was chilly, not cold! Still, it was not PLEASANT. Eventually, I said to myself, screw this! I'm turning the heat on. NOW!! And, I did. The nearly IMMEDIATE warmth felt oh so good.

This may seem like such a small, insignificant incident. And, in truth, it was. But, it can also be seen as symptomatic of a greater malaise. We want what we want when we want it. And, if that doesn't happen, something is very wrong with the world. Think about it - if you want water, you go to a faucet, turn it on and, voile. If you need light, you go to the switch, flip it, and, voile. If you need food, you go the refrigerator, open it, and, voile. We are constantly in the middle of nearly INSTANT gratification.

Think about it. When we want or need something it better be available, quickly, or there could be hell to pay. How many of us have flown into a near rage simply because our computer took more than a few seconds to boot up?! Or, god forbid we should be put on hold for more than a minute or two while on the phone. How many of us throw our hands in the air in frustration if we wait on the grocery line too long? I know that I'm guilty of all those infractions.

We live in an age of Instant Gratification. We have even invented new words to describe it like Fast Food, Quickcheck, and Instagram. All of them imply speedy service for any and all of our needs.

It always makes me wonder what people did in the days before we had all of these marvelous creature comforts. My mother laughs when I ask what people did in the days before the ubiquitous presence of air conditioning, saying: "we suffered and endured"!  It seems the "good ol' days" maybe weren't so good after all.

Then there is the question of the future. How would we survive if all of this were taken away from us now? Perhaps, we wouldn't survive. We've become too soft, too content to struggle too much. And, if we did actually survive, would we/could we thrive?

There are many who would say that having all of these comforts has created a weaker "modern" human being. They say that our ancestors where the ones with the right stuff. And, they just might be right. But, these are the only times that we will ever know. There is no going back. It's up to us to educate ourselves and future generations that most often the best things in life are like a sumptuous, well-prepared meal: it takes time to prepare it, it takes time to cook it, and, to be truly enjoyed, it should take time to consume it. Everything else is just fast-food snacking.