Our Obsession with Instant Gratification

Society has developed into one of impulse, emotion, passion, and self-worship. This is especially prevalent in the younger generations, but many of us have been either raised or conditioned with this aversion to delayed gratification. Patience is a dying virtue. No one likes to wait. We get aggravated when the food we ordered takes a little bit longer than expected to arrive, we get frustrated when our browser doesn’t load on our Smartphone instantaneously, and we get annoyed when a package from Amazon is delayed by one day. Basically, we’re a society that wants things yesterday and have a hard time taking a step back and letting life unfold on it’s own. But, this is not a self-righteous lecture. I am definitely guilty of falling victim to instant gratification. It’s way to easy to do so, especially in a world of immediate goods, services, and convenience, our tolerance to delayed results has become one of our biggest vices. This intolerance has festered in every facet of our lives; creating a culture that seeks immediate satisfaction at the expense of not only our future but our character. It all boils down to patience, or the lack thereof, that more and more people are dealing with these days. That’s because patience doesn’t come easy. Patience is an art and a practice. It’s a savoring of the moment so that the desired conditions, when they arrive, will be fully appreciated. So, instead of worrying about when things will happen or complaining about your present circumstances, try to let go and let God. Try to listen to the messages. Try to see the signs. Try to recognize what your surroundings are telling you. Try to have faith that everything will eventually sort itself out. Try to embrace the fact that everything doesn’t happen according to your own personal timeline. Try to keep it in the moment. It takes patience to know that you are on the right path and while you’re not exactly where you want to be, it’s being able to recognize it’s only for now. This won’t be forever.