We’re all in a hurry to get what we want. And, oh yes, we’re all busy, busy, busy. A spur-of-the-moment visit to the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum reminded me that our impatience and desire for instant gratification are nothing new.
It seems each generation thinks the one on its heels is has an entitlement issue – they know what they want, and they want it now. Baby Boomers, Gen Xers, Millennials, Generation Z – take your pick. Each generation has been accused of being the now generation. As in I want it now.
“[W]e’ll all be happier if we develop some self-control and avoid the habit of wanting everything this instant.” (Baby Boomers)
“Remember, this is the generation brought up on instant gratification.” (Gen Xers)
And now back to my visit to the JFK Library. It seems President Kennedy saw that our impatience was interfering with long-term plans and goals, since he included these words in his inaugural address in 1961:
All this will not be finished in the first one hundred days. Nor will it be finished in the first one thousand days, nor in the life of this Administration, nor even perhaps in our lifetime on this planet. But let us begin.
So…let us begin. And let us realize that some tasks and some goals are, indeed, worth beginning even though we’re not sure when they’ll be complete.
