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Instant Gratification

Discussion in 'Snippets of Life (Non-Fiction)' started by jayasala42, Aug 16, 2025.

  1. jayasala42

    jayasala42 IL Hall of Fame

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    Instant gratification is what everyone seems to hanker after today. You only have to achieve your aspirations, somehow!
    We live today in a world of fast food, express delivery, time-
    bound programmes, and so on. We always want to be ready to
    go, and hit the road running. Recently my grandson aged three
    hit an iPhone on the floor angrily since he could not get his
    favourite song on YouTube soon enough upon pressing. Why
    are we in so much of a hurry?
    I am reminded of Albert Einstein, who was said to spend 55
    minutes defining a problem and five minutes finding the solution.
    Today we don’t know whether there is problem at all, and if so
    what the problem is. We never realise that the quality of the
    solutions will be directly proportional to our understanding of the exact nature of the problem. Children, why even adults, need
    instant gratification. In two minutes they want noodles, and they want bajji mix or dosa mix that take as many minutes to prepare the said dishes, too.
    Sans effort?

    It is as if there is no need anymore to learn poetry, or study
    different interpretations and comments. There is no need to
    understand key concepts of mathematics, physics and
    chemistry. You only have to achieve your aspirations, somehow.
    Haste induces fear, that is now taken as the normal. Life is not a series of projects to be completed in quick succession. It is just the opposite of the creative mind, which is fearless and
    expansive, capable of bringing out better results.
    Many people grow impatient when the Internet is slow: they just can’t wait for a couple of seconds for a page to load. They can neither wait for the train to arrive nor the aircraft to take off. They can’t tolerate their own child being cranky and tend to even hit the baby.

    When we take medicine for any disorder, it needs
    some time to act. We should actually have a warning on the
    packages of drugs: “Negative effects include a need for instant
    gratification and loss of patience.”

    Today’s children, born after the arrival of the smartphone on a
    large scale, are wired for pronounced impatience. This
    resembles the ‘chicken and egg’ situation. In this fast world,
    websites are designed in such a manner that the customer is not made to wait even a second longer than necessary and is
    provided with all essentials in one go. Otherwise, another
    website is waiting to grab him or her.


    We have seen the days when parents were eagerly waiting for
    months for a post card to arrive with a crucial piece of
    information. Now we need quick results. ‘Delivery the same day’ is the promise put out by some e-commerce companies. BIg basket advertises 'supply' within 10 minutes.People don’t even mind paying extra to satiate their impatience. People
    don’t wait even for two seconds for the video to load in a device.
    Where impatience helps

    But undeniably, impatience helps on certain occasions. Though
    enjoying every last bit of food is what is preferred, you can’t do the same if the restaurant is about to close.
    You have to munch and gobble the tasty food as quickly as
    possible. You have to be fast in the examination hall to score the maximum marks, even when your handwriting is not very
    beautiful and perfect.

    While you are in a foreign country, you
    learn the foreign language for essential communication. You
    cannot then be dwelling on learning all the tough grammar rules.
    The process should be very quick, to make you understood and intelligible. Some important words here and there, ‘Welcome’, ‘Thank You’, expressions for seeking directions, and so on, may make you fit to get along in an unknown land. Perfection, tense-matching and syntax structure need not necessarily take you very far.

    A woman will be considered wise if she can prepare a simple,
    quick lunch within 15 minutes with the available ingredients. In certain situations, the one who prepares expansive and delicious varieties in 90 minutes will actually be at a disadvantage.
    ‘Slow and steady’ winning the race may not be entirely applicable
    in today’s life. Whether the advance of technology has resulted in the ‘quick-quick’ tendency, or whether it has stemmed from the social compulsion for such sweeping developments, is debatable.

    A lot of really valuable things take time. A pregnant woman
    cannot expect a full-grown and healthy child before 37 weeks.
    Examination or election results cannot be announced
    immediately. Plantains take nearly four months to grow to
    maximum size.A baby need tummy time.
    A child can crawl, walk, talk and go to school only upon reaching
    certain stages. Some diagnostic results take time to be known.
    Investments in stocks and shares need some time to yield
    results. Even idli batter takes eight hours to ferment.
    Is it not therefore wise to set aside our desire for instant
    gratification and move towards the best in life, that takes time
    and effort? Patience is worth the wait, since the pleasure we
    derive will be beyond compare.
    JAYASALA 42
     
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  2. umaakumar

    umaakumar Gold IL'ite

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    Dear Jayasala,
    Wonderful writing on instant gratification.
    Like you said everyone today are the same.
    A few days back I was making cupcakes for my 3 year old grandson. He helped in mixing the dough. When I put it into the oven and told him he needs to wait 45 minutes, he threw a fit. He said he wants it immediately. That is what the TV, ipad and smart phone has done to everyone.
    Adults and children watch shorts all the time. No patience.
    Don't know what the world is going to be in a few years.

    Regards
    Uma
     
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  3. jayasala42

    jayasala42 IL Hall of Fame

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    THANK YOU UMA KUMAR MADAM.

    VATHSALA JAYARAMAN
     
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  4. Thyagarajan

    Thyagarajan IL Hall of Fame

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    Dear madam @jayasala42 ,
    How I missed this post I wonder! The concluding para is unmistakable. I enjoyed your essay thoroughly.

    Incubation time got to be allowed as in many natural process that includes cooking food and sweets like rasagolla.

    I read a piece in Reader's Digest decades ago about then Calcutta now Kolkatta for making very soft and tasty the rasagolla: the brand owner said they make it only using charcoal fire!

    The trees take years to grow and tall bushy. One has got to wait for maturity before the crop is ready for harvest. Rain has to pour steadily over a region so that agriculture benefits. We dont need cloudburst which cause deluge that swallow the city.

    A mother to be has to wait for that 9months + for delivering a full time matured baby. An elephant mother Delivers after carrying the baby for almost 24 months!

    In today's fast-paced world, the desire for instant gratification is indeed widespread, driven by social media, technology, and societal pressures. This mindset can lead to:
    - Impatience and frustration
    - Overemphasis on short-term gains
    - Lack of persistence and perseverance.

    However, the adage "slow and steady wins the race" remains relevant, emphasizing the value of:
    - Consistency and persistence
    - Long-term focus and planning
    - Building strong foundations for success.

    While it's not necessary for everyone to adopt this approach, it's essential to recognize the benefits of a balanced approach, combining effort with patience and persistence.

    Ultimately, the key to success lies in finding a strategy that works for him or her and staying committed to goals.
     
  5. jayasala42

    jayasala42 IL Hall of Fame

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    DEAR SHRI THYAGARAJAN SIR,
    Thank you very much for your nice comments.Yes, we have to be very patient in life, though some

    urgency and priority are needed for emergency issues.

    JAYASALA 42
     
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  6. Thyagarajan

    Thyagarajan IL Hall of Fame

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    Dear Sister @umaakumar,
    My grand fathers and grand mothers too wondered and exclaimed when their kids glued to Radio programmes in 50s.

    My parents too uttered such bewildering statement in 1959 when Black and white (B/W) television broadcast was introduced in India on Sep ,'59 in Delhi and then by and by in other parts of Indian Union.

    People are constantly in great hurry and haste to try newer gadget-methods easy and comfortable ones that allows more free time, more leisure and pastime and in that process set aside healthy habits and make their bodies vulnerable to newer hitherto unknown diseases.

    The young ones believe that they know better than preceptors, ancestors, elders and their parents.
    But That is what life is!
    c'est la vie.
    Regards . God Bless
     
    Last edited: Oct 4, 2025
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  7. Thyagarajan

    Thyagarajan IL Hall of Fame

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    Hi @UMAKUMAR welcome and glad u had visited here and awarded me a "like". But it doesn't say whether my statement is ok or not?
    Perhaps it fits all ages and ages yet to come!

    It is foretold by Bill Gates that sooner smart phone would become obsolete and a chip embedded in or on palm would over ride all other gadgets.

    Our hands or vanity bags or pockets would be free of smart phones.

    The world gets newer and newer things and the young ones quick to adapt to such revisions faster than previous generations and present oldies.

    Thousands of years ago in tamil it is said as an adage, "பைழயன கழிதலும் புதியன புகுதலும்..... "

    Regards.
    God Bless
     
    Last edited: Oct 9, 2025

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