on technology, impatience and being gen y
just spent the last two hours frantically trying to fix a sudden internet connection problem on my home pc. after much frustrating to-and-fro with two unhelpful pccw technicians on the phone and then applying a truckload of googled suggestions on my own to no avail, i finally decided to reset my entire win10 network as a last resort. the reset, which involved uninstalling and then reinstalling all network adapters and software, took what felt like an eternity -- about five minutes. to my utmost relief, that did the trick ... just as i managed to dial through to a 24/7 computer repair guy, already planning to shell out some good cash for someone to come fix the problem *immediately*. i had to sheepishly confess that i no longer needed his services, before hanging up.
the incident made me reflect on what a terribly impatient person i had become, so used to being able to have access to everything instantly, that even this minor hiccup could cause me such turmoil. my multi-tasking during the troubleshooting process was also a symptom, i suppose. already suspecting that the two pccw techs would be useless, i was on my ipad googling for help and opening multiple tabs even as i spoke to them -- separately, in between lines -- on the phone. then after convincing one of them to schedule a pccw maintenance guy to come down to check tomorrow afternoon, i proceeded on my own to apply the googled suggestions one by one on the pc. after everything failed, i then reset the whole network ... but even as the network reset was taking place, i was already googling for a 24/7 computer whiz and trying to ask if he could come down right now. that's how it happened that i resolved my own problem even before i could finish explaining the issue to him. so impatient, so anxious. i didn't even wait for each step to be completed and proven unsuccessful before proceeding to the next step.
and yet, there is no time for patience. this style of impatient multi-tasking problem-solving approach would in fact be sought-after, applauded and encouraged in the real world. think about it, the more quickly the problem is resolved, the less time needs to be wasted on trying to find a solution and the more time can be devoted to actually getting on with real work. in this case, i was indeed trying to meet a deadline ... though i've now taken the time out to write a reflection piece instead, haha.
once, in another lifetime, i wrote in the defence of generation y kids that you could not blame them (i.e. us) for being impatient, having been brought up in a world of microwaves, instant messaging and two-minute noodles. and knowing well that one of my "inherent gen y" flaws is certainly impatience, i have at various stages of my working life tried consciously to apply patience, restraint and more enlightened self-interested thinking. yet with most of the developed world geared towards producing, promoting and propagating exactly such impatience, the odds do seem stacked against one trying to practise patience.
there is something to be said (again) about how technology has enabled us in making us so much more efficient and better equipped, and yet left us utterly helpless, dependent and entirely at its mercy. it has even shaped our character traits -- patience/impatience -- and has the power to mould our moods -- like me, anxious and on edge over a faulty network system tonight. people say everyone should impose tech breaks on themselves every once in a while, switching off all devices at some point of day. but, studying the pace of your own life, your living habits, family needs, work requirements ... is this really feasible?