Why are Orthodox services so long?

You know, it's funny. Every time somebody says, man, the services are long, I think, and sometimes I even say to them, well, you're going to be very disappointed then when you get to eternity, because the services are going to go on forever. Our services are not long. Eternity is long. We are praying and cultivating the soul to the level of healthiness. So, for example, when you first start lifting weights, you go to the gym for maybe thirty or forty-five minutes, but then you acclimate to it, you get stronger, then you start going for an hour, then you start going for an hour and a half. Sometimes you realize you need to spend two hours in the gym to get everything done in order to keep your body at the level that it's at. Especially, this is true with athletes. Well, those who are spiritual athletes experience the same thing. Their souls are not fed properly until they've been stretched a little bit, until they put some effort, some sweat into it. And so the services require a deep level of dedication and devotion and focus and prayer in order to nourish them.