I was raised on a series of sayings that are apparently outdated or even obsolete. Sayings such as, "practice makes perfect," "patience is a virtue," and one of my favorites, "all good things come to those who wait." The premise of course for all of these sayings is that success does not occur overnight. Success is, or at least it used to be, best measured and earned by a series of accomplishments, from one ascending level to the next up the proverbial ladder. One accomplishment led to the next one and so on and so on. And, more important than the successes, these levels of achievements were dotted with failures that made the successes even more rewarding. Each failure led to a more solid accomplishment at the next level.<br />
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This system worked very well until we became a society of instant gratification, instant success, and virtually instant everything. This need for immediacy applies to almost everything that we do. Instant coffee, instant food, instant news, instant communication, all in the blink of an eye and completely instant. We allow our kids to become adults, almost instantly, with what we now allow them to be exposed to at ages that are far too young, even though they are still very much children from a developmental perspective. We even have instant pudding. My grandmother is probably rolling in her grave.<br />
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I will admit to enjoying some of the conveniences that are provided by the push for instantaneous results. No more percolating, just zap and drink, No more defrosting, just zap and eat. No more waiting for news or box scores, just click and read. It's all very pleasing not to have to wait for anything anymore.<br />
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But, not only does this need for everything in an instant apply to the daily conveniences of life, it has now also become a part of our nation's leadership. When this desire for "everything now" works its way into our country's well being and who will lead our country, it can become a very dangerous prospect. Historically, our leaders who have made it to the top, have brought with them experience that included former stops along the way as legislators, senators, governors, military leaders and other positions that served well as a training ground for the nation's number one spot of leadership; the presidency. These times of previous leadership, management, and the ability to face and make tough decisions served them well as the one that we all looked to in both good and bad times. They were well established leaders long before they called the White House home.<br />
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Not all of them will be remembered as successful presidents, but their failures were typically politically motivated rather than their preparedness for the job. Those traits were well honed prior to the Oval Office where the decisions that are made there leave little room for error. But, somewhere along the way, some people have decided that experience is no longer crucial for the job as the leader of the free world. With all due respect to our current president, and those who are ardent supporters of his policies, he won the presidency with very little experience or proven track record as a great leader. Intelligent
