Quantity vs Quality. A common comparison but time is rarely considered. Time is the most important.

News, Social Media and Travel. All three emphasize time, or lack thereof. They all try to be quick at the expense of quality. To see the worst in humans all you need to do is read internet comments, drive on a busy road at peak traffic times, or fly. All are optimized to be fast, though many fail at this.

News is always "breaking", pulling the latest headlines from the oven well before they are baked. Facts and accuracy seem far less important than speed to get a story out to the masses. If news is meant to inform, you can't have quality without time. Facts take time to uncover. Perspective take time to develop. Newscasters will say "breaking news... more as this story develops" Imagine a restaurant that within minutes of seating you drops raw chicken and vegetables on your table, then says, "more as this meal develops". Would we be please with their speed?

Social media connects people easily, way too easy. Friendship isn't as simple as sending a Friend Request. A retweet isn’t a conversation. Relationships take time to build. A good relationship is a blessing. Relationships aren’t nouns, they are verbs. You don’t have a relationship, you relate. You don’t have a friendship, you are a friend. Relationships are work, the good kind. Relationships are like gardening. You plant, feed, cultivate, tend to them and in return can enjoy the beauty they provide.

“It is about the journey, not the destination.” We have all heard it, probably all said it. Modern travel ignores it. We rush and jostle to get onto a plane even though everyone will arrive at the same time. We all stand before reaching the terminal, ignoring the seatbelt signs, even though we can’t get off the plane. If flying was a quality experience we would sit back in our comfortable seats, knowing our luggage we easy to access, and be reluctant to have the miraculous experience of flight end. When we get stuck in traffic on a freeway we think, “I will get off and take the side roads, it might take longer but at least I am moving.” We don’t care about time as much as we might think. For a daily commute, would you rather have 30-35 minutes of traffic, stop lights and horns blaring or 40 minutes of peaceful smooth sailing?

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by

-Robert Frost

Life is full of little choices, and I—
I choose little joys

-Me