Mohan Thulasingam
Speed has become a fashion and necessity in the digital era. The limited resources and the growing population have necessitated the development of speedy service as Fast food, Express ticketing, Quick visas, Fast lane traffic, etc. Even the time is moving on the fast track: years get completed before we count the days. Burgers and pizzas profit from our hastiness and laziness. People seek a slimming center to shed the flab faster. No family likes to waste time on the household works and instead engages a servant or gadget. The ill effects of the rushing up in everything are not understood by many. The irony is that human wants everything faster excepting the death. To understand the value of patience and tolerance, certain routine life activities and their effects are listed here.
Health is the casualty: Fast foods save time but endanger our health. All kinds of disorders like obesity, diabetes and blood pressure are caused by them. The desire to get things done faster makes a person restless and anxious, which, in turn, produce emotional setbacks of Anger, Stress and Depression. Eagerness to earn more in short time results in the least care for health.
Wastage increases: Citizens turn hasty on the road. Vehicles move at a breakneck speed during the peak hours of traffic to make up the time lost on unwanted things. Consumption of fuel and lubricants goes up apart from the tear and wear on the vehicles. Rash driving causes disability and death. A person can prefer the title of ‘Mr Late’ to ‘Late Mr’ if he considers his life is more precious than time. So, never do anything in haste as it always leads to the waste only. Last minute arrangement for anything involves more expenditure. Air tickets booked at the last moment cost more if at all available. The pillow missed during the hurried packing, is bought at a higher price during the journey. These are the effects of the hastiness and improper planning.
Precocious acts: Some people expedite the delivery of their child to have a fancy birthday like the first day of the New Year, 29th February and Christmas Day. In the eagerness to make the kids smarter, parents put them in the school at an early age, while some train their wards in driving to show off to the world. All these overenthusiastic acts actually burden the children, depriving of the fun and frolic due to their age. Meat manufacturers force the animals like chicken to swallow the food to make them grow faster in the shortest period.
Tampering with the heredity: The inherent nature of plants and animals is altered through genetic engineering for developing resistance to the pests and diseases, and to harvest more in a short span. Blood transfusion, Cloning and Stem cell techniques are bound to affect the genetic makeup though they quicken the recovery of health.
Freedom is meant for living happily and peacefully. Nature does not hurry, yet everything moves on time. Hastiness does not guarantee success in life. Mulberry cannot grow into silk without the work of time and the silk moth. Hasty decision ignoring the reality misfires.
(Author is a Ex-Banker and can be contacted on tmohan0311@hotmail.com)
Nice article Sir!!