We Are Quickly Losing Touch with Reality in Our “Impatience Economy”

A Wake-Up Call

Erik P.M. Vermeulen, PhD
5 min readSep 6, 2024

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Photo courtesy of author

On August 30th, I saw the first wasp of the year.

It made me feel uneasy. Not because I was afraid it might attack me, but because I realized I hadn’t seen any wasps before this year.

Around late July, they usually swarm around, making every outdoor meal a battle for territory. Every year, I’ve been running like a madman through the garden, trying to get rid of them while they chased me and my food. However, this year, they never came at all.

My unwanted encounter took place in the attic, where I retreat to exercise. It was warm, with the roof window open to let in a late summer breeze. In that quiet space, the lone wasp arrived, hovering in the air like a bad omen.

It circled the room slowly, as if searching for a place to die after a summer of hard work. Its movements carried a sense of quiet resignation — “my work is done, my time is over” — that resonated with me.

And it got me thinking.

I remember hearing on the radio about the scarcity of bees and wasps this year due to the humid winter, but I didn’t think much about it then. Who has time to worry about insects when there are larger, more pressing concerns? But now, the wasp’s late arrival felt…

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Erik P.M. Vermeulen, PhD
Erik P.M. Vermeulen, PhD

Written by Erik P.M. Vermeulen, PhD

Where Gen X memories meet today’s struggles.

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