Remember growing up with only three channels on your TV? You might have been able to get five channels if you could adjust the antennae just right. If you got to see your favorite teams on TV, that was a special treat! You had to watch what the rest of the family was watching or you did something else. Now we have multiple televisions with several receivers and digital recorders that ensures we do not miss our favorite shows.

Remember when eating out was considered special and reserved for only special things like birthdays and celebrations? Now people eat out whenever they feel like it. 

Remember having to wait to go to the store until your parents had their weekly shopping trip to get anything new? You might not have been able to get something new and you certainly did not get a treat every time you went either. Now people buy whatever they want, whenever they want, and buy things so their kids will not pitch a fit in the store. 

Remember when the only time you got new anything was for birthdays and select holidays? Maybe if your parents or grandparents were feeling generous, you might get something new then, but otherwise you had to wait. Now we get new things all the time unless we consciously buy used stuff. 

In today’s society, we expect things now. Nothing is special anymore unless we were too broke to pay for it until payday. We get what we want when we want it. We want a new shirt? Bam, we go to the store and get it now. We want a candy bar? Stop at the convenience store and get one. Kids start begging? We get them anything to keep them quiet!

Very few people stop themselves from buying whatever they want. I know I really like my Amazon Prime. I have to wait two whole days for things to get here, but I can click and order right at my fingertips. Super convenient! However, my life would not be over with if I didn’t have it anymore. However, other people might go through withdrawals. Remember when you had to go to the big city to get the special items you were looking for? With online ordering, people have forgotten about that. 

The media gives us all the news we want to hear (and don’t want to hear) at a moment’s notice. Remember waiting until the newspaper came in the morning or the news to come on at noon, 6:00 pm, or 10:00 pm to know what was happening? Remember having save up money, drive to the local music store, and buy the cassette/CD/record/ 8 track you wanted? Now you can download it immediately and listen whenever you want.

What happens when people lose their instant gratification? We are definitely a “want it now, get it now” society. People will go crazy when they can’t get their expensive coffee at the local coffee place. People will get very cranky when they can’t buy their cigarettes or alcohol. 

Nothing will even compare to a mother whose kids are hungry and want food now! We don’t tell our kids “no” often enough and kids almost always want things now. Just wait until McDonald’s is not available or sugar laden snacks are not affordable. Some mothers will not be able to handle their kids’ suffering. 

Things could and will get ugly fast. Sure, there might be a black market for the more addictive things like soda, cigarettes, drugs, and alcohol, but many people are not going to be able to afford that. Many people will do anything it takes to get those things like steal, murder, and/or sell themselves. Is that what you are willing to do?

How will people amuse themselves? They are used to having a device in their hands or on their desk that instantly connects them to the world and shows funny videos. What happens when those devices are useless? Cranky might be a rather mild word to describe the withdrawal people will have when those devices are usable 24/7.

Now is the time to practice self-denial! Now is the time to set limits for yourself and your kids. You can’t always have what you want when you want it. You need to make certain things special again and treat them as treats. You need to limit your time on the electronic devices as well as your kids’ time. You need to realize that not everything is going to be available to you all the time!

Now is the time to break the addiction to sugar and caffeine. You will feel better and be more productive without them. Now is the time to quit smoking. You will be better off quitting now than when you are forced to because you cannot find them or afford them anymore. 

I believe most people will be able to adjust quickly when they can’t have what they want instantly. However, some people will not be able to adjust very well. Some people will not be able to adjust at all. Life for them will get ugly and they will be very hard to deal with. You don’t want to be one of them. 

What are you going to do when you can’t have the things you enjoy anymore? Will you be able to handle it or are you going to go a bit crazy for awhile?

Thanks for reading,
Erica

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