Homo Sapiens Moderna, the modern man, is an impatient being.
With each new generation, his level of intolerance for all things 'slow and steady' is escalating. He has condensed his communication and discovered newer and faster ways of accomplishing tasks. The old and laborious procedures to tasks have faded from memory all together.
This post is not merely about all things old versus their new avatars.
This post stems from an anxious belief that the genetic makeup of our future generations is getting modified to include 'impatience' and 'restlessness' in its prototype.
The present generation, without even realizing it, has brought about changes in his environment through his inherent 'shortage of time'.
This is an attempt to list 100 different areas where the modern man has made his 'fast and furious' ways the norm. (Since it will be a long list, I will be covering 5 areas in each post.)
1. Medical care
In the olden days not so long ago, one went to a neighborhood doctor's clinic when one was sick. You waited patiently for your turn on a wooden bench in the waiting area.The doctor took his time in exchanging pleasantries and examining you. He had probably already built a rapport through previous visits and knew all about your school life and friends. He had a compounder who was equally friendly and caring and who helped you understand the dosage of the medicine that he had packed in a paper packet. The medication was always arranged by the doctor and it always made you better. We all know what the modern medical scene is. The friendly neighborhood doctor has morphed into a multi-specialty clinic where doctors come and go, prescribe medicines to be bought from the market and the question of a rapport developing between the patient and the doctor does not arise because the next time you visit, the doctor would have stopped coming to that clinic.
2. Diagnostics
If medical care has changed, so has diagnosis of illnesses. Where earlier one relied on the competence of the doctor to diagnose through his physical examination, the modern doctor does not exercise his expertise of physical examination due to time constraints. A battery of tests is what aid him in his diagnosis. The doctor outsources his work of diagnosis to the pathology lab so that he can attend to a larger number of patients. It is believed that diagnostic tests are a sure-fire way of ensuring quick diagnosis and treatment.
3. Medication
A doctor who can cure a patient quickly, is the best. Who cares if he prescribes strong medication or even recommends usage of steroids for young children. We begin to mistrust a doctor if he is unable to cure our patient quickly. This restlessness has led to a horde of wrongful medical practices which the patient remains unconcerned about.
4. Cooking
Our grannies spoke about cooking on the 'choola' and the 'angeethi', slow and cumbersome processes. Our parents hastened the cooking process by using stoves and cookers and then LPG gas. Our generation saw the advent of microwave cooking, a faster way of cooking. Foods like paranthas, pakoras, samosas were still cooked from scratch. Frozen pre-cooked foods are the future of modern cooking. Even cooking on the gas or in the microwave is considered time-consuming in a modern double-income household. So a modern mom earns brownie points from her family for serving market-bought 'dahi', reheated potato wedges, packet-made idlis, bottled 'chatnis' and pickles, ready-to-eat 'matter-paneer' and 'biryani'. The task of making 'mathris' and 'ladoos' for festivals now rests solely with the local 'halwai', what with the households now engaged in other festive recreations.
5. The way we eat
If what we eat has changed with the fast times, how we eat has also taken giant leaps. 'Grab-a-bite', 'working lunch' are the modern ways to eat. Meals chewed and mulled over friendly family banter have been replaced by TV dinners. Oh, it is so boring and old-fashioned to have a sit-in meal. Instant mood highs through food has led to an increased consumption of comfort foods like chips, chocolates, cookies etc.
Part 1 concludes with these 5 areas.
Please feel free to add your thoughts to the list.
Waiting patiently to share 5 new 'impatient' areas with you tomorrow. Ciao.
With each new generation, his level of intolerance for all things 'slow and steady' is escalating. He has condensed his communication and discovered newer and faster ways of accomplishing tasks. The old and laborious procedures to tasks have faded from memory all together.
This post is not merely about all things old versus their new avatars.
This post stems from an anxious belief that the genetic makeup of our future generations is getting modified to include 'impatience' and 'restlessness' in its prototype.
The present generation, without even realizing it, has brought about changes in his environment through his inherent 'shortage of time'.
This is an attempt to list 100 different areas where the modern man has made his 'fast and furious' ways the norm. (Since it will be a long list, I will be covering 5 areas in each post.)
1. Medical care
In the olden days not so long ago, one went to a neighborhood doctor's clinic when one was sick. You waited patiently for your turn on a wooden bench in the waiting area.The doctor took his time in exchanging pleasantries and examining you. He had probably already built a rapport through previous visits and knew all about your school life and friends. He had a compounder who was equally friendly and caring and who helped you understand the dosage of the medicine that he had packed in a paper packet. The medication was always arranged by the doctor and it always made you better. We all know what the modern medical scene is. The friendly neighborhood doctor has morphed into a multi-specialty clinic where doctors come and go, prescribe medicines to be bought from the market and the question of a rapport developing between the patient and the doctor does not arise because the next time you visit, the doctor would have stopped coming to that clinic.
2. Diagnostics
If medical care has changed, so has diagnosis of illnesses. Where earlier one relied on the competence of the doctor to diagnose through his physical examination, the modern doctor does not exercise his expertise of physical examination due to time constraints. A battery of tests is what aid him in his diagnosis. The doctor outsources his work of diagnosis to the pathology lab so that he can attend to a larger number of patients. It is believed that diagnostic tests are a sure-fire way of ensuring quick diagnosis and treatment.
3. Medication
A doctor who can cure a patient quickly, is the best. Who cares if he prescribes strong medication or even recommends usage of steroids for young children. We begin to mistrust a doctor if he is unable to cure our patient quickly. This restlessness has led to a horde of wrongful medical practices which the patient remains unconcerned about.
4. Cooking
Our grannies spoke about cooking on the 'choola' and the 'angeethi', slow and cumbersome processes. Our parents hastened the cooking process by using stoves and cookers and then LPG gas. Our generation saw the advent of microwave cooking, a faster way of cooking. Foods like paranthas, pakoras, samosas were still cooked from scratch. Frozen pre-cooked foods are the future of modern cooking. Even cooking on the gas or in the microwave is considered time-consuming in a modern double-income household. So a modern mom earns brownie points from her family for serving market-bought 'dahi', reheated potato wedges, packet-made idlis, bottled 'chatnis' and pickles, ready-to-eat 'matter-paneer' and 'biryani'. The task of making 'mathris' and 'ladoos' for festivals now rests solely with the local 'halwai', what with the households now engaged in other festive recreations.
5. The way we eat
If what we eat has changed with the fast times, how we eat has also taken giant leaps. 'Grab-a-bite', 'working lunch' are the modern ways to eat. Meals chewed and mulled over friendly family banter have been replaced by TV dinners. Oh, it is so boring and old-fashioned to have a sit-in meal. Instant mood highs through food has led to an increased consumption of comfort foods like chips, chocolates, cookies etc.
Part 1 concludes with these 5 areas.
Please feel free to add your thoughts to the list.
Waiting patiently to share 5 new 'impatient' areas with you tomorrow. Ciao.
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