Liba Hopeson
We live in a time where everything moves at lightning speed. People hurry to work, hurry to eat, and hurry even while resting. Our world is built on quick results and instant updates. This rush has slowly changed not only how we live but also how we think and speak. We now prefer short sermons, short speeches, short articles, short videos, and even short prayers. In this fast-moving culture, patience and focus are becoming rare virtues. A 2023 Microsoft study found that the average human attention span has dropped to about 8 seconds—shorter than that of a goldfish—because of constant digital stimulation.
I call this growing problem the “short disease.” It’s not an official illness, but it affects nearly everyone. It describes our obsession with making everything short, quick, and easy. As a public speaker myself, I do not write this to argue for long speeches or to justify speaking longer. My aim is not to defend length but to raise awareness that while short can be good, an excessive desire for shortness is not. When everything is made short just for comfort or speed, we lose something precious—depth, meaning, and substance.
The rise of the “over-short” habit
Our attention span has shrunk dramatically. Many people now struggle to focus on anything that takes time. Psychologists call this “cognitive impatience”—the growing discomfort people feel when faced with long or demanding mental tasks. Teachers, preachers, and leaders often feel pressured to keep things brief because listeners quickly lose interest. We live in what could be called the age of the over-short.
Everywhere we look, people expect quick answers, quick inspiration, and quick success. Long conversations or thoughtful reading seem tiring. In many churches and classrooms, people even judge the quality of a message by its length—“It was good,” they say, “because it was short.” But shortness alone does not make something good. A short message without substance may be easy to hear but empty to remember.
This is one of the most troubling signs of the “short disease”: we have begun to value speed over substance, and comfort over content. Sociologists have observed that in a culture shaped by social media, people often equate “fast” with “efficient,” even when it leads to shallow thinking or misinformation.
How it weakens mind and character
The effects of this mindset go far beyond communication. The “short disease” is reshaping how we think, learn, and grow. When we constantly consume quick and easy content, our minds grow weaker. We become restless, impatient, and easily distracted. Neuroscience studies show that constant exposure to short-form content, like TikTok and YouTube Shorts, activates the brain’s dopamine reward system, training it to crave constant novelty instead of deep focus.
This impatience doesn’t just affect our habits—it weakens the very qualities that make people successful and mature. Patience, discipline, and perseverance are essential for doing well in life. These are the qualities that help us study deeply, build strong relationships, and overcome challenges. Yet, because of this obsession with speed, even adults are slowly losing them. We no longer take time to reflect, to wait, or to endure difficulty. We want everything now.
Without patience, we react rather than think. Without discipline, we give up easily. Without perseverance, we never grow strong. The “short disease” robs us of the steady strength that builds lasting success and character. A long-term study by Stanford University found that self-control and perseverance predict success in life more reliably than IQ or social background.
The effect on children
Children are among those most deeply affected. Surrounded by short videos, instant games, and fast entertainment, many children find it difficult to pay attention or sit quietly. Their minds are trained to expect constant excitement. As a result, many become impatient, unfocused, and even arrogant. Research from the American Psychological Association shows that children who spend more than two hours a day on fast-paced digital media often exhibit reduced attention and emotional control.
When things don’t happen immediately, they get bored or angry. They want quick answers and instant results. Over time, this attitude shapes their personality—they begin to believe that everything in life should be fast and easy. This impatience makes learning difficult and weakens relationships. If not corrected early, it leads to adults who cannot wait, cannot listen, and cannot think deeply.
Teachers worldwide report that reading comprehension and sustained classroom attention have declined sharply since 2010, largely due to digital multitasking and short-form media use.
The loss of depth and wisdom
Because of the “short disease,” our world is full of information but short on understanding. We collect facts but rarely connect them. We read quotes but not books, watch clips but not full stories, and listen to short talks but forget them soon after. According to Pew Research, people consume more information today than ever before but retain and reflect on less, creating what experts call “shallow knowledge.
True wisdom cannot be rushed. It grows slowly—in silence, reflection, and patience. Reading a good book, listening to a thoughtful sermon, or spending time in prayer may take longer, but these are the things that give life depth and meaning. If we lose these habits, our minds become shallow and our hearts restless.
Recovering depth in a shallow age
Speed may make life easier, but it cannot make life meaningful. The most important things—faith, love, wisdom, and growth—take time. A short message can inspire, but deep truth requires time to understand and apply. Studies in positive psychology confirm that long-term fulfillment comes from sustained effort and reflection, not from instant pleasure or rapid consumption.
As a public speaker, I don’t write this to promote long speeches. I simply want to remind us that a message is not good because it ends quickly—it is good because it carries truth, clarity, and purpose. Being brief is valuable; being empty is not.
To heal from the “short disease,” we must slow down. We must learn again to listen fully, read patiently, and think deeply. Not everything short is good, and not everything long is bad. The goal is not to stretch time but to recover depth and meaning.
When we rediscover patience, discipline, and perseverance, we will also rediscover wisdom, strength, and peace—the very things that make life worth living.
