The Politics of Patience

Millennials coined the term “adulting” in the previous decade, referencing the activities that are generally associated with being an adult – things like paying bills, doing laundry, or setting up utilities. These activities were just previously known as “life.” Sadly, today’s instantaneous culture seems to produce Americans who think themselves incapable of performing everyday responsibilities.

It is true that parenting and education play a key role in our ability to accomplish these daily duties. For example, a majority of Americans report being unable to change a tire. I would guess that many of these individuals did not have a parent or guardian teach them, either because they did not have that influence in their life or because their family just failed to pass on that skill. However, knowledge is not the only inhibitor for completing basic tasks today. Some simply lack the patience to complete the task itself.

Research shows that many Americans do not have the patience to complete the simplest chores. For example, one study found that 6 in 10 Americans report frequently burning their mouths on hot foods, because they just can’t wait. The same research found that more than half of those surveyed, of all ages, reported that they could not wait on the phone longer than a minute before hanging up. Of younger Americans, a third reported waiting less than one second before bypassing a slow walker, and the average respondent reported checking their phones eight times when waiting to hear back from a significant other.

While these findings might seem trivial, the decline in patience for basic tasks seems to coincide with a decline in human attention span. A widely covered 2015 Microsoft study of over 2,000 Canadians found that humans lost concentration ever 8 seconds. Time Magazine noted that goldfish have an attention span of 9 seconds. I would point out that the attention span of Congress is likely less than that – so make of that what you will.

What is even more notable is the apparent decline of our ability in recent years. When Microsoft began their research in 2000, the human attention span was found to be 12 seconds. The researchers theorized that this decline was likely due to our brain’s adaptation to our digital world.

While some academics are critical of even the notion of an average human attention span due to the range of human capabilities and the varying activities that require our attention, a large body of research seems to support the idea that our attention is, at the very least, being impacted by our reliance on technology.

One study tracked human attention span over the course of the last two decades. The researchers looked specifically at screen activity, like on a computer at work or home. They found that our attention span looking at screens has declined over the last 20 years from about 2.5 minutes to only around 45 seconds today. Our dependence on technology appears to influence our ability to concentrate on those tasks before us and to see jobs through to completion.

Yet, while our impatience is evident through our lack of action, it can also be witnessed in the active behavior of Americans. For instance, impulse buying is a phenomenon that has been exacerbated by our digital world. E-commerce sales will top $6 trillion globally this year according to Forbes, with impulsive purchasing accounting for a very large proportion of the sales – up to 80 percent in some cases. The availability of goods to be purchased immediately and delivered directly to our door seems to be too much to handle for many Americans.

Another example is weight loss. While the obesity rate of Americans has hovered around 40 percent for years, weight-loss drugs like Ozempic have taken our country by storm. Six percent of Americans report taking the drug. In fact, so many Americans are taking the drug that some economists predict that our GDP could grow an extra 1 percent by 2028 simply due to its usage.

I would never advise anyone to take or to not take any prescription – that is up to each individual and their physician. My point in referencing the drug is to illustrate human nature.

For some, drugs like Ozempic could be the best and only choice for a healthier lifestyle. However, for many, the same result could be achieved through diet and exercise. While the latter choice is more difficult, it is probably more lasting and, perhaps, more meaningful. This may be a sensitive subject, but it illustrates our culture of impatience. While many Americans make resolutions every New Year to exercise, studies show that most abandon these plans by the third Thursday in January.

My key assertion is this: impatience doesn’t just influence our short-term behavior. It ultimately impacts our destiny.  

Many Americans no longer believe that the American Dream is attainable. While this opinion is certainly influenced by politics, I wonder how much it is influenced by patience.

Success requires the ability to overcome adversity. Generally, this requires persistence. While overnight fame in the internet age is a possibility, overnight success is still an improbability. Story after story of American icons show that most who eventually found success, failed at first. In fact, many failed over and over before achieving their dream.

Research supports these anecdotes as well. Patient people go on to earn more money over their lifetime. Impatient people not only make less money, but they statistically struggle to achieve other milestones like obtaining degrees and finding a job.

While our culture and our modern brains may value convenience and speed over everything else, the path to success typically doesn’t.

While it has taken me years, I have come to realize a simple truth: our perseverance often outweighs our pace.

As a Christian, husband, father, and human being, I think more and more about how I can become a more faithful and steadfast person in a “cut-and-run” culture. Our nation and our prosperity was largely built by people who didn’t just settle for quick fixes, and I hope to be the kind of person who is ultimately known for “getting it right,” rather than just settling for “right now.”