Long-Term Thinking: A Shift Through Time

The essence of the story illustrates a time when individuals contemplated the distant future, crafting structures meant to endure. These endeavors required meticulous planning and significant input from engineers, designers, builders, and society at large.

The merit of long-term thinking was immense: - Structures were designed for durability and quality. - People engaged in deeper cognitive processes. - Individuals considered future generations they would never meet. - It promoted environmental sustainability.

This is why we still see medieval buildings standing strong today. Historical monuments were erected by rulers who aimed for their legacies to endure for millennia. It wasn't merely cultural pressure that encouraged such foresight; it was often a necessity.

That lack of alternatives proved beneficial.

Consider the time before mobile phones, when planning meet-ups required precise coordination. If you misheard the location, your only option was to return home, as no other means existed to locate your friends.

Planning was essential.

Historically, society had to adopt long-term perspectives simply because resource extraction was neither swift nor economical. Quality was valued, as any broken item couldn’t be easily replaced. However, the landscape shifted dramatically with the advent of mass industrialization, which made products more readily available.

While this initially propelled societal progress and improved living standards, it also birthed corporate greed.

Long-term thinking has since been on a downward trajectory.

The Impact of Cheap Manufacturing

The shift began when industries recognized that maximizing profits was achievable through the production of cheaper goods, leading to mass sales. The term short-termism emerged from corporate discussions, as businesses sought to achieve substantial profits swiftly.

Imagine having a million dollars with two investment options: - Option A. Invest it all in mass-producing lower-quality items, doubling your profits immediately. - Option B. Allocate it to research that enhances quality, boosting the selling price and yielding five times the profits—but only a year later.

Most would lean towards Option A.

Isn’t a bird in the hand worth two in the bush?

Many industries adopted this mindset, transitioning from multi-year forecasts to quarterly, then monthly ones.

The consequences were dire: - Increased resource depletion. - Decline in product quality. - Diminished capacity for long-term planning. - A toxic preoccupation with immediate outcomes.

Over time, numerous industries contributed to the planet's degradation and societal harm.

Governments could have intervened better.

Yet, the familiar cycle persists—industries lobby for favorable policies.

But wait—how can industries and governments extract from the populace if we aren't inclined to purchase?

It turns out that consumers also prioritize short-term gains.

We do it too.

Despite our capacity for foresight, we have an innate flaw in our thinking called present bias—the tendency to opt for smaller immediate rewards over larger future benefits. This characteristic has been exploited for maximum corporate profit.

You can blame human genetics, but...

Our Complicity in the Current Crisis

It's one thing to possess an unrecognized genetic predisposition, like an insatiable sweet tooth, unaware of its potential consequences.

Yes, it is harmful.

Yes, it may lead to severe health issues.

But if you know the risks and continue indulging, you are entirely at fault!

This is our collective guilt today. Many of us understand the repercussions of prioritizing short-term gratification yet still indulge as if drawn to a flame.

And this behavior is leading to our downfall.

Corporations represent just one side of the equation; we play a pivotal role in this dynamic—this interplay is known as consumerism. Industries have cleverly lured us into buying cheaper products in bulk. Propaganda and advertising have obscured the detrimental effects of this behavior on ourselves and the environment.

The oil sector even propagated misinformation claiming the greenhouse effect was a myth!

All of this served corporate interests, allowing them to produce cheaply and sell at vast profits, all while reaching wider audiences through various media platforms.

Then came the internet and the age of data.

How can they discern consumer preferences?

Enter social media.

The Onset of Mass Distraction

Now, we find ourselves at a crossroads: corporations eager to sell cheap products versus our inclination towards immediate rewards.

How can these forces align?

Here’s a clever five-step plan: 1. Create a “free” online platform attracting millions seeking connection. 2. Utilize their data and attention. 3. Sell this information to advertising agencies. 4. Flood users with pervasive ads. 5. Profit like a broker!

Ingenious, right? This formula has become the backbone of online operations, growing increasingly extreme.

Most platforms aim to capture users' attention for extended periods, maximizing ad exposure. This is achieved through distractions, with notifications providing instant gratification via amusing memes or attractive images.

Instant dopamine hits.

Mass addiction.

Why expend effort for a reward when immediate pleasure is just a click away?

And who needs to maintain focus for more than ten seconds?

This trend yields additional consequences.

The Destructive Nature of Short-Termism

We now have the option for instant gratification in nearly every aspect of life.

Craving pizza? Countless delivery options are available before you even finish the app.

Seeking a brief romance? Tinder is at your fingertips.

Our culture is designed to reward short-term gains.

Short-term dopamine hits prevail today.

This shift has severely impaired our ability to think and plan long-term, reducing us to a society of impulsive, attention-deficient individuals.

Some reports even suggest that goldfish have longer attention spans than TikTok users.

This phenomenon encapsulates the essence of our discussion: a culture steeped in short-term thinking.

Our current consumerist mentality is actively nurtured.

Purchase inexpensive disposable items, then replace them with new ones months later. Consumerism has escalated to a point where our attention spans are meticulously manipulated, bombarding us with advertisements and influencers promoting lifestyles we don't necessarily need.

Feeling overwhelmed by a lack of products? You can always doom-scroll and mindlessly consume content.

Our culture is in disarray.

Our mental well-being is deteriorating.

We are constantly fatigued by distractions, leaving us with little energy for envisioning the future and engaging in long-term planning.

Is There Hope for Change?

I remain optimistic.

And it begins and ends with you.

You can embrace long-term thinking, even when it feels like an uphill struggle in our current climate.

Here are actionable steps you can take: - Dedicate a few hours to reading a book instead of endlessly scrolling through social media. - Allocate distraction-free time slots in your day, keeping your phone and other digital distractions away. - Invest in high-quality items that are built to last. Although they may cost more upfront, they won’t need replacing as often, saving you money in the long run. - Limit your purchasing frequency. Despite what advertisements suggest, you likely don’t need as much as you think. - Research companies that genuinely support long-term initiatives benefiting society and the environment before making purchases.

Though challenging, achieving this requires resilience.

In the short term, society applauds predictable choices—new clothes, vacations, etc.

You won’t receive recognition for slow, arduous endeavors like reading a complex book or committing to a relationship.

You might not feel rewarded for investing time today for exponential benefits and potential accolades in the future.

This is precisely why resilience is crucial—to endure the grind.

To cultivate focus.

To think long-term.

And perhaps, if enough of us shift towards long-term thinking, we can gradually influence our culture, society, and environment positively.

Let’s hope it’s not too late by then.

Fin.