If anyone has been around long enough before the mobile phone and the internet became common, they would probably agree that there was a time when patience was truly a virtue. They would agree that it was quite normal to send a message and wait for a reply after a month or two and the message would have still carried its significance.
Those were the days that, when you had to make a phone call, you had to wait until the next morning to go to the post office or a phone booth – where you would probably even find a queue of people waiting for their turn – because even having a home telephone was a luxury then. But lately, it seems, patience has become a nuisance or perhaps such discomfort that no one wishes to bear.
With the advent of technological breakthroughs, especially in the information technology sector, prolonged periods of communication have become a thing of the past. Information can now be sent and received in an instant. An answering machine has become obsolete and has been replaced by a voice message, SMS and email.
All these, though, have had an enormous impact on the very ways of life so much that we become accustomed, if not addicted, to instant gratification. It goes as far as translating into how we want to go about achieving our goals, dreams and aspirations and the tendency has now become: ‘I want it, and I want it now!!’
Taking the time to put in the work necessary to get desired results may come with bouts of anxiety. So, one would rather find a quick fix or a shortcut to satisfy their desperation. No one seems to have the time to save money to acquire what they want and would rather get a loan or devise a quick get rich scheme of some sort – and this could perhaps also be the reason why we seem to have dozens of overnight millionaires of late.
Not so long ago, losing weight required a change of diet coupled with some workout programmes. Today, though, someone has devised some products to help us lose weight while watching our favourite series without moving an inch – or we simply forego the responsibility for our health and rather place it in the hands of the “almighty” doctor.
When it comes to relationships, they are no exceptions either. There is no longer time to get to know each other long enough before commitment – thanks to social media and online dating sites we can just meet a total stranger today and they would wake up in our bed or as our newlyweds the next morning.
With that said, there is absolutely no doubt that wherever there is a shortcut or quick fix, often at some point someone must pay the price – and in this case, we may be paying heavily with our mental and emotional health. Until we normalise the aspect of mental health as part of our daily conversations, our only escape route may remain addiction to alcohol, drugs and other possible self-destructive behaviours. And the time, to start that conversation is now!! This is not the time to postpone, for we may delay our long-overdue evolution to the next level of consciousness and a better world.
E-mail: karlsimbumusic@gmail.com
OSHIMWENYO is published every Friday in the New Era newspaper with contributions from Karlos Naimwhaka.