Educating in waiting

We have become accustomed to wanting something and having it now. The immediacy which is brought to us by the Internet, online shopping and mobile apps, while allowing us to avoid queuing at the bank, at the store and at the supermarket, does not make us better. Maybe more efficient, maybe more practical, but also more intolerant. This is something to be careful of,  because this can also become transmitted and infect our attitudes at home.

We live in a hurry to do everything immediately and a simple traffic jam can make us angry. Now there are appos that help us avoid them, but not always… And those of us who grew up sending letters or postcards, not whats apps, those of us who grew up waiting ten months to meet our summer friends again, without facetimes, those of us who grew up waiting at the door for our neighbour to come down, without missed calls, should be an example for the “amazon kids”, as the digital expert, María Zalbidea, calls them.

Waiting at the doctor’s office while reading a book, waiting in line at the supermarket while ordering groceries, waiting for petrol while listening to the radio, waiting for the elevator while time simply passes, helps us to work on our patience, our tolerance and our frustrations. In addition, waiting allows us to think, reflect, evaluate, analyze and decide calmly, without haste.

Patrick Scanell says in our report, “The Impact of Technology in the Home,” that technology is complex, it is not something simple, so how can we incorporate it into our lives so quickly without evaluating and waiting to see its impact. Complexity requires thoughtfulness and we haven’t stopped for a minute to assess whether we want to introduce these dizzying changes in our lives.

I have grown up in a small city, far from the hustle and bustle of the capital, and immersed in the agricultural sector where the sky rules and the earth has its own rhythm, and often remember those sayings of the older generation such as: “more haste less speed”, “no matter how early you get up, the sun rises at its time” or “good things come to those who wait”. Wise words today as well as yesterday.
Why do we want to rush and put a screen in our children’s hands when they are young if they have their whole lives ahead of them to use them? Why not educate them to wait and offer them such a tool when their brain and personality are finally formed and they can make good use of them?  Rushing into things is never a good idea.

The home can be a place where time can be taken and the vital skills of patience and discernment taught. Learning to enjoy and benefit from all that technology offers us is well worth the wait.

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