People can't wait.

ADD has become an international affliction. It's now acceptable not to be able to sit and wait.

Their span of attention has been reduced to a new low. People now expect the most difficult problems to be resolved perfectly within 27 minutes plus three commercial breaks.

They then expect life to follow the same pattern, and they are frustrated when the discover that real issues are not resolved in that way.

Television culture has all but destroyed our ability to wait. It has caused people to make unrealistic demands of others, while they are passive about their own efforts.

Twenty-seven minutes. That's not even enough time to arrange a meeting to learn about the facts.

Three minutes of entertaining commercial breaks. That's not what life is about. Serious problems are not resolved in entertaining ways, with time out for commercials.

What have we done to our children's reasoning, problem-solving abilities, and patience?

Oy.