instant gratification

When I think of our society today, and how corporations use media to bombard us with messages, I kind of start blaming them for the convenient, busy lifestyle, and the mess that has resulted in North America.  But then, really, it comes down to us, because we are the ones who either buy in or opt out of wasteful choices, purchases, and having a whole mess of stuff that we need storage units to hold.

We have been conditioned – err, let me rephrase – we have accepted conditioning to use and throw out, and believe we have the utmost right to have whatever we need (want) immediately.  A new culture of instant gratification.

Think about it for a moment.  We post something on social media, and immediately we receive notifications that there is activity on that post.  If we want groceries, we go buy them, even on holidays.  If we want ice cream, we go buy a cone, even in the winter.  If we want a pineapple, we go buy one, even though they don’t grow here.  If we want a new pair of pants, we order them online to be brought to us.  If we want pizza, we can order it without even picking up a phone.  If we want a coffee at 2 in the morning, or a burger, there are drive-thrus that are open twenty-four hours a day.  We can find ALL things in stores, from baby diapers to apples to outdoor furniture.  We don’t even have to wait for our hair to grow anymore!  We can buy it!

I see it, I like it, I want it, I got it.  You nailed it, Ariana.

Of course, every person has the right to make those choices for themselves.  But I don’t even think we are the ones making these choices anymore.  I feel like we are being forced into this way of living.

It is unnatural for things to arrive or happen in an instant.  This is why the world revolves around cycles.  We must wait for the seasons to change.  We must wait for the sun to rise.  We must wait for the apple to grow.  We must wait to develop a friendship.  We must wait for the child to walk.  We must wait.  To fast-forward is unnatural (and unkind).

For when you wait, and let things happen on their own time, do you not feel more grateful?  When your favourite season is just around the corner, are you not grateful for the anticipation of the season’s activities?  When you happen to catch the sun rise over the crest of a mountain, do you not smile at the sight?  When you finally get to pick the apple and sink your teeth into it, is it not the most sweetest taste?  When you are able to call someone a good friend, is that not the greatest gift?  When a child takes their first step, is that not the most magical experience?  Is life not fast enough?  Are these things not worth the wait?

Transitioning into a zero waste lifestyle has reminded me of what I value most.  It has shifted my thinking.  Some call it “slow” living, I think of it more as “intentional” living.  Not letting those small moments of gratitude be taken away.  Not giving in to entitlement.  Practicing some self-discipline.  Re-evaluating what is a need, and what is a want.  Not overstepping a human’s boundary of cycles.

For what if you wait?  What will happen?

“Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson.

 

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