Perseverance and Time

Having an edge of advantage over another in any aspect, holds far more worth than the word 'edge' represents.

The lighthouse stands strong in the stormy seas of time. Be that lighthouse.

An interesting pattern that I find in many places is the compounding effect of time on growth and processes. Though scientific methods clearly put down relationships of most phenomenon with time, this pattern is too hard to miss. (Or the reasons for it are still a mystery to me.) Be it in the growth of civilisations, starting a company or learning how to play an instrument. The act of doing anything. 

Let's consider an example. A man has been learning to play the piano for two years. Another man, learns only for one year but has the capability to put double the effort in the coming year. It would seem by the end of that year both would have put in three years worth of effort and would be equally proficient. But intuition tells us that, even though the latter has worked twice as hard, he will almost always fail to eliminate the gap. 

The mind seems to internalise and become efficient not by performing an activity a thousand times in a single day, but by doing it a thousand times over a thousand days. Voila! The compounding effect of time.

While this abstraction may be moot in natural processes, I believe it certainly exists in human society and in how we think. The human brain's relationship with time seems far more intertwined and non linear in how it adapts to certain stimuli. This trait collectively in a society has manifested itself to further widen the gaps in levels of progress and development.

The key observation is- 'It pays to be early.' To define the word 'Pays' is quite simple. The increment in progress towards the final result.  The universality of this theme is fascinating and very hard to miss.

For me, the spark for keenly looking for this pattern rose from noticing how countries and their systems have evolved over decades and centuries. I have listed just a few examples of some stark socio-economic examples.

Singapore today, has emerged as one of the most unique first world countries despite its late start, lack of natural resources... or space. 

Singapore placed over NYC

Naturally, one would think that such a place would be rife with human inequalities and segregation, and it was! However, the country implemented clever housing policies way back during its early years to encourage and make sure different communities live together in close quarters. This has not only managed the problem of ethnic group clusters, but over the years, its positives have spread to ensure peace and even discourage political play through division of its citizens, all of which may have been crucial for it to reach its current first world status.

It becomes increasingly apparent that, by investing in the right fundamentals early on, we can avoid going down treacherous paths in the future that we can't even foresee.

This striking pattern is observed in complex history such as settlements too; dating back to the British colonies in America. Even with access to resources, the element of compounding of time plays an exponential effect on the growth of just about anything, similar to the metaphor of money and banks. 

Throughout the ancient era, meticulous planning, foresight and structure have contrasted the societies that thrived and the ones that died out. The world wars, politics and history created in the past century has been decided by the powerful and dominant nations. These nations which continue to be powerful today. In the 21st century, mankind is at the dawn of the space and exploration era. The pioneering nations of today will be the ones setting the terms in Zero-G tomorrow. 

The takeaway from all this is, even if the start seems slow and shaky. Even if there is someone else starting at a better place, these negatives only affect us linearly and cannot beat the exponential effect of persevering through the trials of time.  

To stand out, one must invest early on in the right fundamentals and simply persevere... Persevering through the tests of time is no triviality. Even by doing just that, the value of the entity is compounded. This is perhaps time's way of rewarding those who stand tall and strong despite the eternal storm of entropy.