All Good Things Take Time
Public Choice | Behavioral Economics | Game Theory
Do it Yourself
There is an old saying “if you want something done right, do it yourself”. I believe this statement holds true. Doing something yourself is the one sure way you know it has been done correctly.
Similarly, the only sure way to know something is done right is through time. In other words, good things take time.
Good Things Take Time
Everything from food to entertainment to politics is better with time. This is true over generations as well as shorter periods of time. It is obvious that things get better over generations because of technology and evolution. I’m going to be focusing on how good things take time in the short run
Food
It is no secret why fast food and microwaved food are so popular. It is quick and easy to make. Making it very convenient for people who have busy schedules. There is a cost to this kind of food: the quality.
No doubt that when you go to McDonald’s or throw a hot pocket in the microwave you aren’t doing it because it’s the best-tasting food. It’s almost strictly because it is quick.
Going to a fancy sit-down restaurant is where you would go if you are looking for quality food. But that food is made to order and takes some time to make it that good.
You could also cook your meals at home. Some claim this is the best quality and tasting food. Cooking at home takes a long time, it is no simple task. But all good things take time.
Entertainment
The new era of entertainment is trending towards a lot of content in a short period of time. Think of Tiktok, Instagram reels, or YouTube shorts. It’s 15-second videos one after another. It’s a lot of content in a short amount of time. It is clear that this type of entertainment is not of high quality.
MCU
An example of how time helps with the quality of content is the Marvel Cinematic Universe or the MCU. The MCU started in 2008 with the first Iron Man movie. Each movie of the franchise is built upon the last. This led to the ten-year-long finale with all the heroes from the past ten years of movies fighting Thanos.
Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame are both in the top 5 all-time grossing movies. This is because they have 10 years of story, content, and excitement backing them up. It takes time to build something as great as the MCU.
In contrast, look at the DC Extended Universe or the DCEU. They saw the success of Marvel and the MCU and tried to rush their universe and storyline to compete. Although some movies on their own are good, the universe itself is very bad and it would be an insult to compare it to the MCU.
Politics
Laissez-faire economics refers to an economic philosophy that is free-market capitalism and against government intervention. Basically, the market always corrects itself from a recession without the help of the government. The problem with Laissez-faire economics is how long would the economy take to recover? Possibly so long we would all be dead.
This is why the government gets involved during a recession. They want to stimulate the economy because they don’t know how long it will last, and the longer it lasts the worse people are. So the government (using government loosely here, as the entities that control this are more complex) adjusts interest rates and sends stimulus checks to reverse the recession.
In the short run it works, it fixes the recession and gets people back to work making products and providing services. But in the long run, it hurts more than it helps. Eventually, the government wants to increase interest rates again, which leads to a slowing down of the economy. The money they printed for the stimulus checks will increase inflation, or the government will increase taxes to “pay” for the stimulus checks.
Consequences of Not Taking Your Time
These are consequences of the short-term greed for good things, like the promise of an ever-growing economy. It is the equivalent of the microwave hot pocket or 15-second Tiktok video. It’s a good fix at the moment, but it has one hell of a bad aftertaste.
Leaving the economy alone or Laissez-faire economics is best for the overall health of the economy in the long run. There won’t be sudden changes in interest rates or money supply, which creates a more stable economy. But it could take too long to reach this state that it wouldn’t help us at all. It would be like trying to convince the elderly of climate change, they don’t care they are going to be dead by the time the effects are seen.
Culture Shift
I reference this idea in my Overturning Roe v Wade is Beneficial for Abortion Rights article. We need to let time work in our favor. Our culture has shifted to removing all delayed gratification. Everything is a “get rich quick” scheme or binge-watching an entire show in a day. Your time is valuable, so I understand that it is important to get as much value out of it as possible. But your future time is even more valuable because good things take time.