Reminiscing is an interesting pastime.

We live in a world of ever-increasing *immediacy;* of instant gratification. We can look at that an objectively say things along the line of *"isn't it cool that we don't have to WAIT so long for that!"*

![0615-LavenderBasket.JPG](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/denmarkguy/EprTd1g4MBKRLXDe4HYujoKBQdudvyGNNX8CSoVPD3vv2T8BdaacegVqGRAiNzz4pwe.JPG)

I suppose I should preface these words with the disclosure that I am getting *older,* which also means that I am *old enough* to reflect on the fact that even though we have gained some *benefits,* we have also *lost* something.

What could we possibly have *lost?* 

Longing.

In some sense, our world of immediacy is making the human experience of *longing* obsolete. Is that necessarily a *bad* thing? Maybe not — if you stick to an entirely *functional* interpretation — but it is definitely an integral part of the human experience that has been with us for millennia. 

![0615-FrillyNasturtium.JPG](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/denmarkguy/23ydENRbJF5hj33NFZFrcLQh3NV6zoJhoKAnzNRg3JTLhJi9ssNj2vUzidx65xaU9X2dN.JPG)

We are becoming increasingly accustomed to the idea that when we *want* something, we can have it immediately. There is no waiting. There is no *longing* to have something you want... until you can actually *get* it.

I even experienced it this past weekend with my *artwork* at the fair... someone wanting to know if I could do something in a specific pattern/color. Which, of course, I *could...* but they *"didn't want to wait."*

It was almost as if the expectation was that I would somehow 3D-print what they wanted, *on the spot.*

![0615-Grasses.JPG](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/denmarkguy/23ynQNnEBY7R5x3XQ7sVyxawEkApzSxKooyzeKG4WztpZEsHtFZoe7rurV7rNJN7jjDkT.JPG)

## *Development and "Progress..."*

I suppose we could just call it *"progress,"* and it would be true... but there is still something *lost.*

It is definitely more *practical* to tap away at a computer keyboard than a typewriter... but I also recognize that I will likely never hear a sound like my mother's Corona, when she was corresponding with friends.

The idea of sending a handwritten *(love?)* letter and having to *wait* and *wonder* when a reply might come... and what would be *in* that letter... *gone.*

I suppose that part of what I am lamenting is that part of our sense of *imagination* is slipping away, because why would you need to *imagine* if you can always have the object of your desires immediately?

![0615-BachelorButton.JPG](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/denmarkguy/23wgFV7w98LPcZQgWGCTS2sapqWeuCkhAxLDyaH9kYudLUF1eHcqpk3F9mUWkh8tmE3C5.JPG)

I found myself thinking about *"Mail order"* and the whole idea of *sending away* for things... same day delivery by Amazon? Not a thing. 

You put a stamp on the envelope with your order form and check... and maybe *ten days* later what you'd ordered would show up and it all felt a bit like Christmas morning. 

## *Relational Shortcuts... Another Loss*

For me, one of the places the *"loss"* is perhaps greatest is in the way we form connections... truly getting to *know* someone has increasingly been replaced by the immediacy of *"swipe right."* 

*Convenient,* perhaps... but it leaves us typically living at the *surface;* never getting beyond what immediately meets the eye. 

![0615-Hydrangea.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/denmarkguy/23yd61xAbGQc4cUwHhuQJnC7TKGZX3SQWfkYv1KqDcxCPctWWTGSKVr4fmEgrTCR3jadi.jpg)

Small wonder, then, that a *deep* commitment like marriage is also on the decline. Tinder sure as hell isn't going to tell you enough about someone to make such a commitment!

So is it all a *"bad"* thing? Or is our current state *"good?"*

I'm going to refrain from characterizing it in such a way and simply stick to the original premise that we are *losing* meaningful human experiences and emotions as a result of our increasingly immediate world.

Thanks for reading, and have a great remainder of the week!

***What do YOU think? Is our drive for immediacy making certain parts of the human experiencve extinct? Will "longing" become an obsolete idea? What will that mean for us, as a species? Comments, feedback and other interaction is invited and welcomed! Because — after all — SOCIAL content is about interacting, right? Leave a comment — share your experiences — be part of the conversation!***

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