I have heard many times that "we (as Americans) have become indulged in shortcuts for everything" and it wasn't until I returned from Ghana that I have been able to see this. We literally are the KING of shortcutting everything possible, and frankly I don't think it is working out like we hoped it would.
The following are some things we try to shortcut:
-Education: The University of Phoenix and Steven-Henager Colleger Degrees - "Get an education that used to take 5 years in 9 months time!" This may be true that you can get a degree, but there is absolutely no way you have learned things as well. You can not shortcut learning like that. I used to be a believer that these quick degrees are a great idea, but no, they are not.
-Food: Microwavable or fast food! This is all we eat. There is no way this is nutritious. So then we...
-Vitamins: "Take a multi-vitamin supplement instead of getting it naturally in your food." There is no way this is the same.
-Religion: Go to church once a week, read scriptures for 15 minutes a day, instead of incorporating religion in to all of you life. (This is one that Ghanaians are great at...incorporating God in all aspects of life.)
-Exercise: Go to the gym for 30 minutes a day, instead of walking/jogging everywhere.
I really used to think that all these time-saving shortcuts were wonderful...and to a small degree they may be, but I think we are going to the extreme. The Ghanaians walk everywhere, get vitamins from their food, eat raw fruits and veggies, but unfortunately they are following Americans in trying to compress and shortcut education...and actually they are starting to walk less, eat less raw fruits and veggies, etc.
In any small way I can I am going to take fewer shortcuts in the areas that count.
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