Why Wait?

We live in a fast paced society. We budget our time and have expectations in regards to how it is used. We hate waiting. I can’t think of anyone I’ve ever encountered who liked, or enjoyed, waiting. It’s come to my attention just how much this bothers me. I’ll be honest, I get frustrated when the line at Starbucks moves too slow and makes me late. It’s not that I am impatient, I wouldn’t say that. It’s just that I don’t like my time being wasted. I value my time, and other’s time for that matter. But why do I place so much of my thoughts on my time and how it is used? When exactly did the shift from leisurely to timely transpire? I can’t pinpoint it to the day or a particular event, the fact is it’s the way I’ve grown up.

When was the last time you wrote a paper and didn’t look something up online? I know for me, I use a search engine, Google, almost daily. Since their creation in 1996, search engines have been giving results on demand whenever we need it. It’s convenient and to the point, so why would we use anything else? I was born in 1994, which means I’ve been familiar with the internet and sites like Google or Yahoo for pretty much my whole life. I, and I assume most of you, have become accustomed to answers at the click of a mouse. It’s hard for me to imagine how people like my mom completed things like research papers when she was in school, without the help of these handy tools. While I am extremely thankful for this technology and convenience, I think having this expectation of on demand information contributes to our culture’s need for a fast paced atmosphere.

Another convenient advance in technology is texting. Texting is something I do every day, and quite often. According to one estimate, it is said that a person sends an average of 17 texts a day and I dont’ doubt it. It’s way more convenient than calling someone when you’re on the go or in a situation where calling isn’t acceptable. It really is incredible how we can connect with people so fast through words on a screen instantly. The downside of texting is that because it is so quick and convenient, we’ve become accustomed to having speedy responses and immediate communication. There have been times where I’ve sent a text to a friend and needed a response and found myself frustrated and inconvenienced when communication wasn’t instantaneous. Texting started becoming popular as I was entering junior high and had my first cell phone. So texting has been a pretty prominent feature in my life. But I have to wonder if this too has hindered my expectation on time and life. Having something like texting is convenient, but this convenience comes at a price and takes a subconscious toll on our lives.

I’ve always been the type of person who plans in advance, schedules out my day, and likes to stay on task and ensure punctuality. I thought this was completely normal until I took a trip to a different culture. I went on a mission trip to the Dominican Republic during my junior year of high school. If you’ve ever been to a country rich in culture you know that there is a different environment that is present, unrelated to physical location. The people of the DR don’t wear a watch, they don’t live according to a schedule, and they don’t find themselves feeling like they’ve wasted time. In this culture, and cultures similar, the focus is not task oriented but rather people oriented. The Dominicans stop to talk to people in the town, they take siestas, families sit on the front porch for hours playing cards or talking, and they often stay up late hanging out with those they love. Something to keep in mind is that these people don’t live lavish lives. Most don’t have 24/7 access to a computer or phone. And guess what? They don’t miss it. They place more value on relationships than they do time, in fact this mindset is called “Dominican time” (and similar things in other cultures). When I visited, it was such a contrast from my busy schedule back home that it took some getting used to. It was such an incredible experience to see how other cultures and people groups live.

I think our culture, and particularly our generation, have become so accustomed to living a fast paced life that we can’t imagine it being different. I wish I knew the answer on how to shift our focus back to leisurely days and away from expectations of instant access, but I don’t. For me personally, I want to try going a day or two without using Google. Maybe I’ll limit my texting. To be honest, I’m not sure how we make a change while being reasonable to the expectation of our modern culture, but I do know I want to make a change from being focused on my agenda to investing my time into those that I love.