what's the rush?

During a recent conversation a friend mentioned that he has always been called Joe, although his given name is Joseph.  I mentioned that the nickname thing seems specific to this country.  He nodded and said, "Yes, what's the rush?" A while back in Greece he had asked a new friend with a long first name, "So, what do I call you, Theo?" The friend replied, "Theofilos." 

My mother-in-law sometimes shortened my husband's already short name Brian to Bri.  Some people have tried to call me Sue and I have always gently corrected them, "I'm Susanne."  

First name abbreviations are just not a thing in Europe. We have time.  What's the rush to make us into Sues, Joes, Theos, Petes, and Mikes?  Is time worth so much money that we gain some by abbreviating a first name?