Instant Gratification

Today I took my car to the garage for some needed repairs and waited in the lounge while the work was being done.  Although I was reading and crocheting, I was vaguely aware of the TV and caught a tiny snatch of an ad for high speed Internet service, which included this statement:  "Enjoy the freedom of instant gratification."


This statement sickens me.  The notion that instant gratification improves ones life is horribly flawed.  Instant gratification is far more likely to produce bondage, than freedom.  An entire generation has come to believe that they have a right to instant gratification...nothing and no one should stand in the way of their pleasure.  


If you need your mood elevated, just pop a pill.
If you feel like sex, hook up with the first available partner.
If you are thirsty, stop at the convenient store and grab a 32 ounce soda.
If you are hungry, there are plenty of fast food joints with fries.
Don't bother to prepare a meal from scratch, just pop something in the microwave.
Don't save until you have enough money for a car or a room full of furniture, just finance it.
Why should you wait for anything?


Instant gratification is a frightening addiction.  We are like lab rats that have learned to push a lever to obtain food.  We go back over and over until we are way past gratification and into overdose.


What has happened to the exquisite pleasure derived from patiently waiting, deferring gratification, until the "fruit" is ripe to perfection and is then consumed slowly, thoughtfully and with great appreciation?
*a cold drink after working on a hot day
*a meal created from home-grown vegetables, carefully prepared
*admiration of a piece of furniture refinished by ones own effort
*wearing a hand knit sweater
*sex with a partner to whom one has made a life-time commitment after taking the time to know that person as a dear friend
*making a purchase with confidence after counting the cost and knowing the resources are available for the payments


So, please don't try to sell me instant gratification.  Don't feed me the poison of instant gratification. And please, don't remind me of the irony, that I will use my high-speed Internet from the very company that ran the offending ad to upload these comments.