I walked out into the flawless beauty of a spring morning in England. Down the lanes into the dark-earthed fields, beside the fresh green of new-leaved trees, past yellow flowers shining like stars in the thorn hedges. I breathed in the perfection of all I saw, wanting to say ‘thank you’ again and again. Out of the corner of my eye I caught a quick movement among the grass. I went over to the roadside and looked. A beautiful bird peeked out at me from under a clump of weeds: bright yellow head and chest that made think of canaries, chestnut-brown back, tail trimmed neatly in white. He looked so bright and smart that I smiled. Then I noticed one of his wings drooping awkwardly—it didn’t look broken, only sprained. He started calling frantically, frightened of me, this monster, and tried to get away.

You see them everywhere.  Most of all, thrown away on the street!  Perhaps that’s because of a natural reaction to immediately get rid of disappointment.  In England one company calls their “scratch cards” INSTANTS - and that may say more than they mean.  It’s supposed to emphasize the INSTANT win.  But reality is that they provide INSTANT disappointment, and so in that INSTANT they are thrown down in disgust.

But more relevantly, they speak of the desire for INSTANT satisfaction.  You want it when?  NOW!  “If I have to wait, I’m not interested.”  The quick fix.  The rapid reaction.  The immediate pleasure.