In football, it is the bomb, the long pass for a touchdown which brings people out of their seats, a play made much easier to accomplish by multiple rule changes in recent years.

In basketball, no longer is the nuanced skill involved in making a contested 15-foot jump shot of interest; the focus is completely on three-pointers and dunks — they excite the populace.

In baseball, a strike-out has ceased being a source of criticism; it is now simply the other side of the desired home run coin.

In hockey, too much defense and too little scoring led to a change in the rules a few years ago.

In soccer, the way tackles used to be made – admittedly often with some malevolence in mind — is no longer acceptable; stars, defined typically as the goal scorers, could get hurt.

In gambling, there is no longer the need to interact with seedy characters; the public has jumped into the fray, courtesy of needy governments who lust after tax revenue.

In the stock market, without being hampered by the need to actually analyze the company whose stock they are purchasing, people can place bets on random fluctuations in prices.

In video games, results arrive quickly, often in blood red.

In the lottery, the most honest of rip-offs, there are instant winnings.

In all cases, immediate excitement trumps subsequent reflective thoughts.

Transitory gratification is the logical accompaniment to that misleading bumper sticker which says, “live each day anew.” In truth, everything a person does both before and after that day affects what their current day is about.