Civic Witness Series: Questions from the Attic

“The Civic Witness Series: Questions from the Attic,” is founded on a simple premise: the people living through democratic erosion have questions the ‘experts’ aren’t addressing; it is inspired by and in honor of Adia in the Attic . These questions matter because they provide an opportunity for sharing and documenting what democratic erosion feels like to people living through it. We don’t pretend to have “The Answer” to these questions, but we hope to stimulate the conversation her questions have prompted.

Please enter the conversation. Please ask us additional questions.

Cultures that value curiosity and exploration over instant results are more productive in the long run.

Curiosity is the engine that drives us to ask questions, explore new ideas, and engage deeply with the world around us. Along with emulating those around them, it is the way children learn in their formative years. Curiosity supports deeper thinking, stronger relationships, and resilience when faced with challenges. American society, unfortunately, has a deep-rooted preference for instant gratification. This is the result of psychological, technological, economic, and cultural forces that have caused a natural human impulse of the brain’s dopamine system, which rewards immediate rewards more strongly than delayed ones, to become a dominant feature of our national lifestyle. This desire for instant gratification leads to shallow engagement with our surroundings, less self-control, and a general feeling of dissatisfaction.

(Photo by Chase Clark on Unsplash)

Everything in our society, from social media, which delivers constant rewards and makes patience feel unnatural; to smartphones and e-commerce with instant online purchasing and ‘same-day’ delivery; to an economy that rewards immediate consumption; has combined to create a culture that equates speed with productivity, has shortened our attention spans, and conditioned us to prefer quick fixes to sustainable growth. Even in our personal lives, we look for instant responses and quick resolutions rather than delving into problems in order to get a fuller understanding.

American culture has become one in which waiting feels inefficient and immediate rewards are essential. This mental attitude complicates governing. When politicians fail to immediately deliver on their promises, American voters become frustrated and often express that frustration by voting for any candidate who opposes an incumbent who voters feel is not delivering fast enough. Donald Trump’s two successful runs for the presidency are a case in point.

His 2016 win was a result of Electoral College targeting and mobilizing specific voter groups who felt economically or culturally marginalized. Mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic and his failure to deliver on his campaign promises during his first term ran headfirst into America’s desire for instant gratification, leading to him losing the 2020 election. That same obsession for instant gratification caused voters to become disenchanted with Biden’s inability to bring things back to where they were in the past, boosting Trump’s fortunes. Even though he still failed to win the popular vote, his Electoral College win propelled him back into the White House in 2025.

Predicting American politics is risky business, but it’s very likely that the same desire for instant gratification, along with his many unforced errors during his second term so far, will lead to his downfall in 2028. But that won’t solve the fundamental problem: how do we lure people out of the cycle of desire for instant gratification, dissatisfaction with desires that are not immediately fulfilled, leading to ill-advised decisions during elections?

The starting point is the realization that it won’t be easy. Cultural habits are like aircraft carriers. They carry a lot of weight, but it takes time to turn them around. With that initial ground rule established, there are a number of things individuals and institutions can do to replace the desire for instant gratification with a sense of curiosity.

1. Practice delayed gratification. While willpower alone is not an effective strategy to change habitual behavior, gradually reducing reliance on in-the-moment self-control by changing your environment and habits of thought can begin the process of change. Things as simple as turning your cell phone off or putting it in another room for certain periods of the day, or not buying snacks when you go grocery shopping, can, over time, alter habits. For institutions, this could mean changing the offerings in employee lunch rooms or changing the requirement that employees be constantly reachable by phone even when off duty.

2. Establish ‘Me Moments’. Set aside periods of time for reflection and refreshing. Devote this time to activities that are not in search of immediate answers or rewards, such as reading a book or studying a new language. One of my favorite ‘curiosity time’ activities is working puzzles such as diagramless cryptograms or crossword puzzles. While there is gratification in solving each, both are structured in a way that instant gratification is impossible. They can only be solved by patiently working through them.

3. Encourage ‘why’ questions. Whether you’re dealing with employees, students, or your children, encourage them to ask the ‘why’ of facts, processes, or trends. This will change the focus from instant consumption to building deeper understanding and knowledge.

4. Limit instant-feedback loops. Remove—or remove yourself from—easy access to search tools. While the Internet is a great source of information that is at our fingertips, searching through dusty library archives for documents forces our brains to engage in active problem-solving and strengthens our curiosity.

5. Foster a growth mindset. As a supervisor or leader, you can develop curiosity and desire for growth in your subordinates by emphasizing that challenges and even mistakes are opportunities for growth. A curiosity killer in any organization is a policy of ‘Zero Defects.’ This not only prevents curiosity, but it stifles innovation.

6. Build an environment where curiosity is valued. In your home, school, or workplace, create an environment where asking probing questions, making mistakes, and trying out new ideas is not only valued and supported, but encouraged.

Institutions that reward reflective thinking, innovative effort, and probing inquiry help build curiosity. When we prioritize exploration over speed, we counter the attraction of instant gratification. Curiosity is not a luxury; it’s required if a society is to thrive. If we are to achieve the necessary level of curiosity, though, we must first wean ourselves from the desire for instant results.

Rome wasn’t built in a day, but if we take the time to build an innovative society, brick by brick, it will endure.

Charles A. Ray served 20 years in the U.S. Army, including two tours in Vietnam. He retired as a senior US diplomat, serving 30 years in the U.S. Foreign Service, with assignments as ambassador to the Kingdom of Cambodia and the Republic of Zimbabwe, and was the first American consul general in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. He also served in senior positions with the Department of Defense and is a member of The Steady State.

Founded in 2016, The Steady State is a nonprofit 501(c)(4) organization of more than 390 former senior national security professionals. Our membership includes former officials from the CIA, FBI, Department of State, Department of Defense, and Department of Homeland Security. Drawing on deep expertise across national security disciplines, including intelligence, diplomacy, military affairs, and law, we advocate for constitutional democracy, the rule of law, and the preservation of America’s national security institutions.