Waiting used to be a normal, unremarkable part of everyday life. It was built into everything.
Before networks, messages, information, purchases, and decisions simply took more time. People were accustomed to waiting days or even weeks, and life was arranged around those delays.
Now people expect immediate answers, rapid delivery, and constant access. The convenience is real, and so are its byproducts: distraction, impatience, and pressure to be continuously available.
We engineered the waiting out of our systems, and some of the patience out of ourselves. The latency of ordinary life fell from days to milliseconds, and expectations fell with it. I ask my students whether instant is a feature or a treadmill; the honest answer is usually both.
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