How To Navigate In A World of Disposableness
We live in a world that moves fast — and wants us to move even faster.…
Everything today is designed to be short-lived. Phones that slow down after two years. Fast fashion that lands in your trash after a season. Startups that scale with speed but no foundation. Dates that feel like swipes on a menu. Even our conversations are getting shorter. We live in a culture of disposableness — and the irony is: we think this is normal.
But it wasn’t always like this.
Once upon a time, products were made to last. There’s a lightbulb in Livermore, California that has been burning since 1901. It’s called the Centennial Light, and it still glows to this day. Over a million hours. No failure. No burnout.
So why doesn’t every bulb last that long?
Because it’s not profitable.
The truth is, the technology exists — but it was buried. This is the story of planned obsolescence: a business strategy built on the idea that the faster something breaks, the faster someone buys again. It’s not just lightbulbs. It’s in your iPhone, your earbuds, your washing machine. The economy runs on replacement.
But it goes deeper than products.
Fast systems shape fast people.
When we live in a world where everything is designed to move quickly — to burn bright and disappear — we start doing the same. We chase the next big thing. We skip depth. We see business as a sprint instead of a practice. We treat relationships like markets. More choice. Less commitment. We mimic the products we use.
Even in entrepreneurship, we see this everywhere: VC-backed startups that burn through cash with no working business model, just to grow fast, dominate headlines, and maybe exit before the crash. Think of Gorillas, Flink, Tesla — built on fast money and faster promises. Growth at all costs. Until the money runs out.
But what if there’s another way?
Because we’re not just consumers. We’re humans. We can reflect. We can choose. We can build slowly.
If you’re building a company — or a life — don’t confuse speed with success. Ask yourself:
Is your product actually good — or just loud?
Are your finances healthy — or are you hiding behind pitch decks?
Are you growing because you’re solving a real problem — or just buying attention?
You don’t have to race. You don’t need hypergrowth. You need clarity. Stability. Depth. And patience.
A real business takes time. 5–10 years minimum. Anything faster is either luck, fake, or fragile.
Talk to your customers. Know your numbers. Improve your product. Don’t just raise money — raise standards.
Let others burn fast. You can burn slow — and last longer.
This is building & being. A space for those who choose depth over noise.
Take your time. It’s the only thing that builds anything real.
