How the “short term” culture implies danger to our lives

The compass of history has accelerated exponentially during the last century. We have gone from the letter to the e-mail, from the phone to the Smartphone, from the waltz to electronic music. The culture of immediacy sets the pace of our days, wielding urgency as a slogan. For many, the rush virus becomes a chronic condition. We go from one task to another without stopping to breathe.

Thus, we live under a permanent level of stress, fueled by our varied obligations and responsibilities, both professional and personal. In this scenario, the shortcut appears as the most tempting of the options. Shortening the road has never been more seductive in this era of short-termism, one that often equates speed with efficiency and quality.

But is that always true?

There are many types of shortcuts, but they all share the root of their meaning: ‘path that shortens the way.’ Beyond geography, human beings tend to look for alternative routes to achieve what we want using the least possible effort. Our goal is to optimize resources, which at the biological level is as useful as it is effective.

This premise is what leads us to try to open new paths, which requires determination, courage, and the ability to take risks. Those who try to earn the well-deserved title of explorers or adventurers.

However, they don’t always survive to tell their story. Not surprisingly, when we take one of these trails often what we gain in speed, we lose in stability. And it is that the shortest path to the top is usually the one with a steeper slope.

Mona Maine De Brian, the founder of the urban, eco-conscious beauty brand KIERIN NYC and a writer who runs the blog “Manhattan Minds” believes, “the truth is that shortcuts are misleading. They often aren’t what they seem; nor do they always lead to where they promise. The mistake is thinking superficial or temporary results can ever offer profound or permanent solutions.” Mona is an advocate and frequent speaker on panel discussions for the growing Slow Movement. She advocates for doing everything as well as possible, instead of as fast as possible, and says, “People hear the word ‘slow’ and think it means doing things at a snail’s pace but what the Slow Movement is really about is quality, doing everything at the right speed, and savoring precious things like hours and minutes rather than just counting them. Slow is a cultural movement, a state of mind and lifestyle, that’s as relevant in a fast-paced city like New York as it is in the rural country. Wherever we are, we do well to live purposely at our own, right pace; to resist being hurried by forces outside ourselves along a rat race.” What the Slow Movement offers is balance which is accessible to everyone. It just requires, Mona believes, attention and the will to make right, if not always easy, decisions.

Often, haste and impatience become the worst counselors to making the right decisions. Opting for the long road might mean investing more time, energy, strategy, and hard work than any ‘alternative route’ demands at the start. But in the big picture perspective, it may be more efficient to take the time and effort to achieve permanent, lasting results than aiming for easy, temporary gains using dangerous or illusory shortcuts.

The advantages of practicing patience

Laziness plays an important role in making decisions concerning shortcuts. And also, ignorance, because in the urgency of seeking an immediate solution, we avoid making the necessary effort to understand the true cost of such a solution.

If they were always reliable, they would become the usual path, not a mere alternative route. And without exception, when we take shortcuts, the incompleteness of our journey ends up making us wobble. Not surprisingly, skipping important steps of any process leads to a greater probability of failure and the increased risk of starting the task again from scratch for a second or third time.

Shortcuts not only appear in politics, in the world of sports or high places. They also infect our most personal relationships. Like when we choose to look the other way when things don’t work as they should with our partner. Or when we compensate for quality time spent with material gifts.

Also, when we hide problems under the carpet. When we use evasion as a communication style. And when we choose to lie or decorate the truth. Even when we stop listening to the person next to us, simply nodding absentmindedly without much interest. But above all, when we do not want to take responsibility for our actions, behaviors, and attitudes.

We live so at the mercy of our habits that we rarely allow ourselves to question them. But what shows the need to have everything for ‘already’ is our internal disconnection. In this context, the concept of ‘waiting’ generates a visceral rejection. Not surprisingly, we usually relate it to moments as boring as irritating. Hence our tendency to flee from the present moment, in which ‘nothing’ is apparently happening, and take any shortcut that promises us an escape route.

However, the ‘wait’ is the faithful companion who walks by our side during every transition. We should live it in the most constructive way possible. And that means learning to appreciate the opportunity it offers us to cultivate perseverance and patience, ceasing to live as victims of our impulses.

If throughout our life, we always chose the accessible, comfortable, and easy shortcut, we miss the opportunity to obtain a much greater reward. It is the deep and authentic satisfaction born of effort, constancy, and the achievement of our long-term goals, dreams, and objectives. Let’s not forget that waiting can also be sweet. It helps us take time to value what we aspire to so, when the desired moment does arrive, we appreciate it fully.