Instant Gratification
It's been almost a month since my fiftiest post, and I was feeling lazy today. Not really lazy, as I sit around and read up on the coming elections, chilling in my room before I head up to lunch on the first day back from break, which was wonderful. I think that October break might be my favorite of all the breaks, since both of mine thus far have been so wonderfully relaxing.
Anyway, I was reading an interview with President Bush where he is talking about his commitment to stick to his strategy for Iraq, because it is an ideological struggle that will take time to sort out. He sais that "Ideological struggles take time. We live in a world in which there should be, there needs to be, instant success... things must happen rapidly."*
This is totally a reflection of what either Neil Postman or Todd Gitlin would say, especially as Bush goes onto say that he hings that the reason for this need for speed is related to having too many TV channels, where everything is solved in an hour, and it only takes an hour if it can't possibly be done in half of one.
I hate TV. We hsould all be more patient, more willing to struggle with tough ideas, not only in the political realm but also in our personal lives. Maybe I'm just sympathetic to this right now because of my laid back semester that I'm in, but still. Why don't we take the time to ourselves to get to know ourselves, what we think about ourselves, and what we think about the world?
Anyway, I was reading an interview with President Bush where he is talking about his commitment to stick to his strategy for Iraq, because it is an ideological struggle that will take time to sort out. He sais that "Ideological struggles take time. We live in a world in which there should be, there needs to be, instant success... things must happen rapidly."*
This is totally a reflection of what either Neil Postman or Todd Gitlin would say, especially as Bush goes onto say that he hings that the reason for this need for speed is related to having too many TV channels, where everything is solved in an hour, and it only takes an hour if it can't possibly be done in half of one.
I hate TV. We hsould all be more patient, more willing to struggle with tough ideas, not only in the political realm but also in our personal lives. Maybe I'm just sympathetic to this right now because of my laid back semester that I'm in, but still. Why don't we take the time to ourselves to get to know ourselves, what we think about ourselves, and what we think about the world?
posted by Foolish Thing Nine at 9:24 AM
5 Comments:
I find it interesting how timely your thoughts are to a discussion we had at Small Group last night. We were discussing a question related to why we allow the urgent to crowd out the important.
I commented that sometimes this happens when we haven't really taken the time to carefully, socratically, define the boundaries of the important, and therefore, the clear speech of urgency undermines whatever tentative understanding we hold of the important.
The other side of the coin here: one spends so much time honing a lexicographically precise definition of his priorities and never actually acts on them...
Blessings!
take a look at the range of topics betweeen which you connected the dots. Laziness to vacation, to politics/elections, to a very Burke-ian idea that big change takes big time, to hating TV, to a personal application.
Very impressive and entertaining in such a short amount of space. Kinda makes me think of great ideas papers.
I don't believe that TV is the only culprit here. Look at computers, fax machines, & cell phones. You could even go as far as to say ice machines, microwaves, ATM's, and the list goes on and on. And I think this dates back even beyond TV. The pony express in its day was considered almost instant. The "need" for faster, better, and newer is not a new concept. In fact I'm going to be as bold to say that the desire for instant gratification goes as far back as Eve in the garden. She believed that as soon as she took a bite out of the fruit she would become God-like. She couldn't wait for God to bless her and help her grow so she took a "short-cut." You could point to the Isrealites and their idols, David and Bathsheba, and possibly even Jesus's mother...Mary. John 2:4-5 "Dear woman, why do you involve me?' Jesus replied. 'My time has not yet come.' His mother said to the servants 'Do whatever he tells you'." She completely ignored the Son of God because she wanted something else so badly.
The desire for bigger, better and faster is part of our sinful human nature. Its like the quote "If people blame guns for killing people, then I can blame my pencil for misspelled worrds." Can you seriously blame TV for the problems w/ instant gratification? Or is it the people behind the TV? Is it our sinful nature, and just an expression of how badly we need a savior who could instantly take away our sins through his death. He is the one and only thing that can truely instantly satisfy us...if we allow Him.
Wow...that was long...
Yeah, my sis did tell me about that... Which is why I left a message on your phone... But did you call me back...? No... :D
Hey. I hope all is going well. Let me know what you are up to.
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