3 Words to avoid when purchasing anything… “quick” “easy” and “sure-fire”

On recent expedition to the internet I discovered that another site (nameless it will remain) that promised access to riches in a quick, easy and sure-fire manner.  This got me thinking about life (of course).  In life we often spend a very long time looking for shortcuts.  There is probably nothing wrong with looking for the “shortcut to glory” but there is something very wrong with making a promise based on the illusion of such.

We live in a shortcut society

There I said it.  We live in a society that demands we create short ways of doing things, whether it be ad-hoc applications of the so-called “power law” or the adaptation of techniques designed to save time.  I have heard this rhetoric for a while, that you develop new ideas as “leverage” and this leads to ultimate power and success.  So far in my short life anything that I have wanted (doctorate, children, marriage, friendships) has come at a price.  There is indeed nothing that comes at a price.  Given that we live in a shortcut society, we should therefore be wary of “quick” “easy” and “sure-fire” solutions to the problems we face.

So what is life really all about?

I am sure I have no idea.  My last post about emergent strategy reflects what I am going through at the moment with my life.  What comes next?  I am not certain as I am sure most of you are.  The lack of certainty and general malaise that comes with it reminds me that I still have the burning sense of achievement in my stomach, yet defining this shapeless void is particularly difficult.  I know that if I was rich perhaps I would be happier?  I doubt it.  Having money does not lead to happiness or success.  Success in the truest sense escapes definition for me at present perhaps because I don’t what it would look like if I saw it.  If I did see it, how would I know it?  I wouldn’t.

The question is then would a sure-fire way to make riches even exist.  If it did would it solve my problems?  Every time in society when we lean on the “quick” solution we only need another “quick” solution to fix the previous one.   Can I suggest that if something is too good to be true it usually is.  This isn’t a truism, especially when we consider the masterwork of chocolate known as the crunchie (yes it’s as good as it sounds) or when you see a magnificent view or notice how much you love your children.  There are things that are good enough to be true.  However, most things that are designed to make you rich quick usually make you poor(er) quicker.

So I will end this somber post with a warning.  Everything that has value, work, life, God, cheese, the things in between, all of the above etc, is based on something that took time to make.  In life the things you value the most are more than likely the things that took the most time to make.  A happy marriage for example takes listening to your wife and doing what she says I mean following orders, working hard to build the life your wife wants, takes time, thought and effort. You don’t arrive anywhere without building, patience and work.  Now I know work sucks, but what would you rather a quick, easy, sure-fire solution that leaves you worse off than when you said.  Let me leave you with something out of context:

Wise words often fall on barren ground, but a kind word is never thrown away – Arthur Helps.

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