We are addicted to it. Everything is at our fingertips. Everything needs instant results. I really blame technology. And this drive to always get ahead and be the best. But mostly technology. This addiction to instant gratification made me ask myself "whatever happened to patience?" today.
I have found myself telling the car in front of me driving under the speed limit to hurry it up, riding up on their butt even though I had absolutely nowhere to be at any particular time. I've complained about slow shipping for something I ordered online when I could have just taken a drive down the road and bought it. I've gotten anxious when I didn't get an immediate response to an email or text that I'm pretty sure should have received one. And I've found myself staring at the computer screen, waiting for the other person on the instant messenger to start typing, wondering what was taking so long. Goodness, I don't even know how I would have functioned without my LCD screen on my camera displaying the shot I just captured! But why?As a society we expect instant results. Instant changes. An immediate response to fix that pending problem. I see it every day with the students I work with. I've had emails sent to me on a Saturday afternoon requesting what I would consider an emergency work order, that I don't get until Monday morning. I've had people knocking on my door because their question is of utmost importance and must be answered at this exact moment...questions that the answer involves something that cannot be done until the next day.
I honestly despise the BlackBerry, iPhone, Droid...any of those phones that allow you to connect to your email and get online at any moment. I will never own one. I am quite content with my Motorola Entice...it does all that a cell phone needs to do...makes and receives phone calls and sends and receives text messages (though texting is nice and efficient, is that even necessary??). My phone even takes pictures! In a conversation I had with my boyfriend over the weekend, we talked about whether or not we could even call them "phones" anymore. I mean, what did we used to do before we could pull that hunk of plastic out of our pocket, pull up Google, and search for the best place to eat in the area. How did we ever survive???
Is technology all that is effecting our patience? Probably not, but it definitely has a huge influence on it. Have you ever caught yourself complaining about someone not answering their phone because, well, they should have it with them and on every minute of every day? What happened to relying on good old fashioned answering machines? I can't count the number of times my mom has told me stories about people calling my dad during the day (while he's at work) for things related to his TC Riders Snowmobile Club and when she tells them he isn't home a likely response is "oh, is there a cell phone that I can reach him at?". My mom always responds with "no" because my dad's cell phone is for that quick phone call home or in case of an emergency. The worst part about it is people always act shocked when she says no! As if leaving a message just isn't enough.
I have to be honest, last year I did not like my job very much. I had a staff of 17. And a building of 500 students. I felt like I was pulled in a million directions. I hated hearing my phone go off with a text message on the weekend, especially when I was sitting in a room with all that I care most about. I dreaded the "hey is it ok if....[insert work kind of question here]?". I felt like I was always reachable and available to all 17 of them. And the worst part...it is MY phone! I shouldn't dread hearing it go off, especially since I pay for it. After a lot of reflecting and thinking, this year I decided to not share my cell phone with my staff. It's one of the best decisions I've made all year. I am provided with a phone in my apartment, which I gave to my staff, so I told them that if they need me after hours or on the weekend to call there. If I am available to help with a situation then I will answer the phone. If I don't answer, then I shouldn't be reachable because I'm probably off doing Sarah-type things. Some of my returning staff still have my phone number, but honestly, I ignore their texts or calls (sorry guys...you have my apartment number!). It is a great feeling to not reward the instant gratification behavior that so many people expect.
My challenge for you today is to be patient. Don't tap your toe while you are standing in line at Walmart and all the cash registers have long lines. Don't rush somewhere if you don't have to. Ignore that non-emergency question until you're working tomorrow. Try to find a tasty place to eat all on your own without Mr. Google showing you your options. Take a walk instead of driving that short distance. Go to a park and turn your phone off and just enjoy the silence. If nature is your thing, when was the last time you let yourself just go enjoy a scene like in the picture with this post?
All these things will keep you from stressing and aging way too fast. It will keep you healthy. And God knows what kind of issues we will have years down the road from the radio waves emitted from all these phones that do everything but fold my clothes and put them away.
Life is too short. We shorten our lives every day by stressing about those things that just don't matter. If you don't have to dial 911 over the issue, do you really need to stress about the situation at hand?
Think about it.
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