Instant gratification is like instant coffee?

I will be the first to admit that I was born truly believing that if I had to wait to get what my heart desired that my life would come to a certain end! As I have grown up in the instant credit age where reality has set in for some that maybe I can wait until tomorrow or even longer for that the next high tech toy, new car or play toy.  I can remember Starbucks promoting a certain type of instant coffee with most likely high expectations it would take off and increase its’ brand power.  Yet clearly you can’t rush something good like a fresh pour over or that latte!

I’m presently re-reading a book written over 35 years ago. What’s fascinating is how relevant the book is for today’s culture when it comes to understanding our bent to seek short cuts, have a tourist mindset and only want the highlights in life. We become bored with anything that requires effort! Eugene Peterson is your pastor’s pastor type that speaks volumes into today’s world that is seeking something but unfortunately comes up way too short in its’ pursuits that require real effort and would rather settle for instant gratification.

What’s fascinating is Peterson’s interest in Nietzsche who was far from his personal faith journey but shared similar passion about the benefit of personal drive and determination. The title of Peterson’s book, ‘A Long Obedience in the Same Direction’, is a quote from one of Nietzsche’s famous works, ‘Beyond Good and Evil’. What’s amazing is that this cultural impatience is seen from all sides and that Nietzsche made the observation that this long obedience in the same direction results with a life that is worth living.  

Is there a benefit to hard work, experiencing hardship and seeing the end result that determination and perseverance might pay off in life? As I’m finishing a book on Grit that helps reveal that it takes more than a high IQ to rock the world but as Einstein would say it’s 99% perspiration and just 1% inspiration. So why do so many accept the lie that hard work, struggling and even failure are fatal in life?

I remarked to a good friend that Peterson wrote his book pre-social media, Internet and even computers.  So clearly our drive for instant everything has heightened with our high tech world. I instantly downloaded a couple of books for my Ipad. So the real question each of us must face is whether rushing anything in life is worth it in the long run?  

Yes, instant coffee is HORRIBLE!