I'm busy, how are you?

Topeka Capital-Journal, The, Jun 12, 2006

A recent Associated Press poll concluded that we are a nation of impatient people. Those who took the survey said they can only tolerate five minutes on hold on the phone and 15 minutes waiting in a line.

The AP saw this as a sign of impatience, but I think the respondents showed amazing restraint. Either that or these people have nothing else to do but wait on hold or stand in line.

We, after all, are a busy people. We have meetings and appointments to get to. We have people to see, jobs that require our immediate attention, tasks that need completing. Who has time to wait on hold or in line?

Why, these days, I find myself growing impatient waiting for a potato to cook in a microwave. Of course, I recall when baking a potato required a pre-heated oven and a good hour. But microwaves, computers and the Internet have spoiled me.

Whether "it" is food or information, I want it fast and I want it now! I allow myself to be herded through driveways where I order into faceless boxes and strangers hand me my meal in paper bags. I am not alone in this phenomenon. I hear there are some areas of the country where a mother now calls her children for dinner by yelling, "Kids! Get in the car!"

But we, as a rushed society, aren't satisfied with just fast food anymore. Now, we have instant food. We have instant soup and coffee, and even instant breakfast - an entire meal in an envelope.

Computers have been a big part of the hurrying of our nation. We can now tabulate, calculate, communicate and even call Kate without ever leaving the comfort of our keyboards.

Oddly enough, instead of providing us with more leisure time, this emphasis on speed and convenience seems to be making our lives more hectic.

The AP survey asked people whether they felt more time-poor or money-poor. The majority answered time-poor. So even though we have all these amazing high-tech devices that are supposed to cut down on the time spent doing various tasks, we still feel uncomfortably rushed.

And that can have some ugly consequences. Nearly one in five surveyed in the AP poll admitted to speaking rudely to someone in the past few months when they felt they weren't served efficiently. It appears we have become so busy we don't have time to be kind and considerate to each other.

In fact, the word "busy" has become an emotional state or state of being. Ask someone how they are and instead of a polite "fine" or "good," they are just as likely to respond, "busy."

What are we so busy doing? Opening sacks of food?

Lou Ann Thomas is a freelance writer and public speaker. She may be reached through her Web site at www.louannthomas.com.