Hi fans.
We have all heard the phrase, "patience is a virtue". When I was younger, I enjoyed building model planes and cars. If you haven't done either of those, it involves high strength plastic cement, and quite a bit of patience in order to let this glue set. I remember not waiting long enough and starting to add decals, and the glue would dissolve the sticker transfer to which I would hear something along the lines of, "You need to let the glue set Thomas. Patience is a virtue." While I understand that patience is necessary skill (especially if you work in a sector that is client facing), it is not always needed. I believe that for society to thrive, we need to embrace the notion that impatience is also a virtue.
For the intents and purposes of this post, we will be using the definition that a virtue is something is an advantage or benefit that it has, especially in comparison with something else.
The Concorde is the dream plane for impatience. As the fastest ever commercial plane, this aircraft could make it from London Heathrow to New York's JFK airport in just 3 hours 45 minutes. Usual aircraft on this route today allot close to 8 hours for the same flight path. Businessmen and commuters could not wait the extra 4 hours to make it to their destination, thus making impatience a virtue for the success of Concorde.
Another prime example of impatience proving success for business is all around us: Electronic technology. Every iteration is faster than before. Downloads that used to estimate weeks, months, or years (Limewire fans unite!), can now be done in seconds on our new devices. When a website doesn't load fast enough, my new reaction to this speed phenomena is not to wait, but rather refresh the page. Digital cameras now allow for instant color filter changes. A process that could take hours on a computer, now only takes the time of swiping a finger. Phone RAM capacity has also increased, allowing for the quick switching of apps, and any lag in opening one leads to significant disgruntlement.
Arguably, at the core, impatience is the only reason society has advanced as it has. Global shipping speeds have increased over the last several hundred years through changes in technology and processes. Personal interaction speeds have also increased. From physically walking to meet someone, to sending a letter, to a phone call, to a live video call.
Without society demanding impatience be a virtue, we would quite literally remain in the Stone Age. Although having the ability to remain patient is important, it is also cruelly naive to believe that impatience does not have a vital place in society.
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