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In a fast-paced world that values speed above everything else, taking a moment to pause can seem like a waste of time… Yet it’s often in these quiet moments that true judgment can shine through. Throughout history, civilisations have relied on institutions that can slow down the decision-making process just enough for wisdom to take the lead over hasty and impulsive decisions.
A few years ago, I had the chance to visit a retired civil servant in his cozy home in Lagos. Stepping into his study felt like traveling back in time. One wall was adorned with a wooden shelf, packed with books and hefty government files tied up with worn-out ribbons. These were mementos and relics from his years in public service during the late 1980s.
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He took one file down and grinned.
“You know,” he said, “back then, things didn’t happen at breakneck speed. A memo would be drafted, typed up by a secretary, passed to a supervisor, reviewed again, and sometimes even looked over once more before it finally left the office. It could take weeks before a decision was made.”
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He paused, as if he were reliving those moments.
“But when that file finally made its way out of the building,” he added, “we felt sure we had really thought it through.”
That moment has stayed with me ever since. It revealed something our fast-moving world rarely acknowledges today. There was a time when taking things slow wasn’t seen as a lack of efficiency; it was part of how responsible decisions and choices were made.
Today, and the difference couldn’t be more striking.
A government official wakes up to a flood of notifications demanding instant replies. A policy announcement ignites reactions on social media within seconds. A rumour that starts circulating online in the morning can escalate into a national controversy by nightfall.
Between that tranquil office filled with paper files and our current buzzing digital landscape lies one of the most significant shifts in human history: the digital revolution.
It has made communication faster, connected societies across the globe, and made a wealth of information accessible right from our smartphones. Yet, it has also subtly transformed something deeper. It has reshaped how we think, how we engage in debate, and how governments arrive at decisions.
Before the internet changed the way we communicate, society had a different pace.
Letters took days to reach their destination. Newspapers went through lengthy editorial processes before they finally landed in readers’ hands. Government decisions had to navigate multiple layers of review before they could become official policy.
While these delays could be quite frustrating, they also played a crucial role. They allowed for moments of reflection.
The German sociologist, Max Weber, once described modern governance as a system grounded in procedures and institutional discipline. Bureaucracy, often criticised for its sluggishness, also made sure that decisions were documented, reviewed, and thoughtfully considered.
In practical terms, this meant that significant decisions, especially those impacting millions of citizens, were seldom made in haste. Officials had the opportunity to scrutinise facts, evaluate alternatives, and foresee potential consequences.
Time itself functioned as a protective measure.
The digital revolution has radically transformed our perception of time. Information travels around the globe in mere seconds, and opinions are formed almost instantaneously. Political pressure can escalate at a breathtaking speed.
Canadian media scholar, Marshall McLuhan, famously pointed out that the tools we use for communication ultimately reshape our thinking. If that observation holds true, then our digital environment is nudging society toward quick reactions, instead of thoughtful reflection.
Governments now find themselves operating under constant public watch and immense pressure to respond swiftly.
A viral video demands a statement within hours.
A trending hashtag pushes for policy changes.
Online outrage insists that leaders act before all the facts are known.
In this kind of environment, governance can start to feel like emergency management carried out in real time.
Political philosopher, Hannah Arendt, cautioned that good judgment requires some distance from the immediacy of events. When everything feels urgent, the necessary space for sound judgment begins to vanish.
The implications reach far beyond just politics. Psychologists and cognitive scientists have long observed that complex reasoning demands our full attention. However, digital communication tends to splinter our focus into constant bursts of information and reaction.
Public debates are increasingly happening through short messages, viral videos, and emotionally charged commentary. Complex issues that used to require thoughtful analysis are often reduced to oversimplified narratives that spread rapidly but offer little real understanding.
For democracy to thrive, it’s not just about participation; it’s about informed participation. When public discourse moves faster than we can verify facts, misinformation can easily travel faster than truth.
The philosopher, Jürgen Habermas, wrote extensively about the significance of the public sphere — a space where citizens can engage in rational discussions about societal issues. The digital age has dramatically expanded that sphere, giving millions a platform. Yet, this speed often compromises the thoughtful deliberation that healthy debate needs.
None of this is to dismiss the extraordinary benefits of digital technology.
Governments can now respond more quickly to emergencies. Citizens enjoy access to a wealth of information like never before. Public officials can be held accountable in ways that would have seemed impossible just a generation ago.
Digital communication has truly opened up doors that were once tightly shut. However, this progress presents a paradox. As information travels faster, it becomes increasingly challenging to distinguish between thoughtful reflection and impulsive reaction.
While speed enhances efficiency in areas like commerce, communication, and logistics, governance isn’t just about being quick. It’s fundamentally about making sound judgments. And making those judgments often takes time.
The pre-digital age wasn’t without its flaws. Bureaucracies often took their sweet time to adapt, and important reforms sometimes dragged on longer than necessary. Access to information was pretty limited compared to what we have today.
However, that era had some qualities that modern societies shouldn’t just toss aside.
Institutional memory mattered. Decisions were documented meticulously and stored in an organised way. Policymaking followed established procedures that aimed to curb impulsive actions. Leaders had more room to consider the long-term effects of their choices instead of just reacting to the latest public outcry.
While those systems didn’t completely eliminate mistakes, they did help lower the chances that major decisions would be swayed by fleeting outrage or incomplete information.
In today’s world, the real challenge isn’t about turning our backs on digital technology — that would be both impractical and unnecessary.
Instead, we need to focus on maintaining the principles of thoughtful governance as we navigate this fast-moving digital landscape.
Governments should work on enhancing deliberative processes within their institutions. Not every online controversy deserves an immediate policy response; often, taking the time for a thorough investigation is a far more responsible approach than rushing to react.
Citizens have a part to play in this, too. In a time when algorithms tend to amplify the loudest voices rather than the most insightful ones, media literacy and critical thinking are more important than ever.
Democratic institutions need to actively protect spaces for slow, reflective thinking. Parliamentary committees, independent advisory panels, and expert consultations are all designed to provide the thoughtful distance that effective policy-making demands.
Those ribbon-tied files in the retired civil servant’s study hold more than just memories; they embody a long-lost virtue.
In a fast-paced world that values speed above everything else, taking a moment to pause can seem like a waste of time.
Yet it’s often in these quiet moments that true judgment can shine through. Throughout history, civilisations have relied on institutions that can slow down the decision-making process just enough for wisdom to take the lead over hasty and impulsive decisions.
While the digital age has equipped us with incredible tools for communication and collaboration, it hasn’t necessarily granted us more wisdom.
It requires something far simpler.
Time to think.
Selah!
Kayode Adebiyi is a PR practitioner and public affairs commentator. He writes from London UK and can be reached through [email protected]
