It is said that patience unlocks every riddle and solves every problem. You extract the chick by hatching the egg, not by smashing it.
Like modesty and chastity, however, patience is on the wane.
I write as someone who will happily race from the kerb into the path of a juggernaut rather than wait for the green man to appear. In a similar vein, I often abort 30-second streamed video clips halfway through. I demand satisfaction now - or sooner.
So do you, based on the observations of Tom Hayes. An author and marketing executive in Silicon Valley, in the US, Hayes has an eye for buzzwords that resonate and has his finger on the pulse of digital business and culture.
He says the sexiest phrase this year is destined to be 'download now'. In his new book, Jump Point: How Network Culture is Revolutionising Business, the phrase is used to appraise on-demand delivery, also known as the 'permanent now'.
'Simply put, today's consumers do not want to wait. For anything,' says Hayes. 'The world of the network has rewired our brains: the delayed-gratification impulse [old-brain thinking related to food scarcity and survival] has been reset. We want what we want right now.'
Hayes singles out recent examples of so-called 'now economics', including initiatives by US-based Netflix, the world's largest online DVD rental service, and digital video distribution firm CinemaNow to introduce instant movie download services this year. 'All I can say is, it's about time,' says Hayes.