Instant Fix

I have always had mixed feelings about micro ovens. On the one hand, they are great because they carry out their function in quick order. If you need something, such as a cup of coffee or tea or even a baked potato, heated up, then it does that for you in what often feels like instant time. Something is cold and you need it to be warmer, then - presto - the micro oven solves the problem right away. On the other hand, the inventors of the micro ovens have fed into what I view as an unhealthy trend among people: growing impatience. The fact is so many of life's problems or challenges cannot be solved instantly, yet micro ovens subtly feed into the notion that they can.

My beef is not just with micro ovens. Remote controls are just as much to blame. Press a button and our television set is immediately "on." Press another button or two and you are enjoying your favorite show on your favorite channel. Problem solved. Instantly. As I write this, a new super hero movie - Captain Marvel - is opening across the United States. (Yes, I plan to see it.) This character represents another entity that address and fixes problems in rapid time. A villain threatens the entire world and Captain Marvel or Superman or Batman or Wonder Woman or any of their other co-heroes swoop in and solves the problem. Easy-peezy.

Challenges that come with communicating effectively are often not solved quickly. Keeping misunderstandings to a minimum, building trust, and developing peace of mind with another all take time to establish. None happen as quickly as a finger snap. They take time, patience, and research. But thanks to the growing number of instant problem solvers within our world, my concern is our appreciation of the reality that many of life's challenges are best addressed by our "hanging in there" is eroding. While anything giving us an "instant fix" is nice, we should be careful not to confuse that with the real truth that perseverance is a key that we should never abandon.