Thursday, April 15, 2010

But it's so CONVENIENT!!

I would like to get rid of that word altogether. Why does everything have to be SO convenient? What are we doing with all this extra time we have from everything being so convenient? Are we planting more trees? Are we cleaning more beaches? Are we curing cancer, AIDS, the common cold? Are we combating world hunger? Winning the war on drugs? Stopping teen pregnancy or suicides? Ending depression? Fixing the economy???

Um... nope. Notta one.

Ah, I know. We're working more. We're watching more TV. Both of which cause us to want/buy more convenient stuff so we have more time to work and watch TV.

Can't some stuff still be a challenge, or maybe a wee bit more time-consuming, so that the end result is maybe more worth it or more treasured or ANYTHING? I continue to maintain that the almightly search for convenience has led us down the primrose path. I say to you, whenever you see the word "convenient", be suspicious. Avoid. Run the other way. Some things are still worth DOING. I worry about a world in which everything is so darn convenient that we don't actually DO anything. Why read a book; it's so much more convenient to see the movie they made from it. No movie? Book probably not worth my time then. Why clean something? It's so much more convenient to throw away and buy new. Why use Pyrex or glass? Plastic is so much more convenient. Reusable water bottle? The single-use plastic ones are so much more convenient.

See what I mean? Let's begin treating that word with a little contempt. And spread it around. Teach kids the value of things, not convenience.

3 comments:

  1. Why take the time to cook a meal from scratch when we can hit the drive-thru or get a frozen dinner to nuke? I mean sure those foods are LOADED with all kinds of nasties that we shouldn't be putting in our bodies, and sure it's cheaper......but it's so damn CONVENIENT!

    OMG! The time we'll save too! We can get to watching "Dancing with the Wanna-be Celebrities" that much faster! Heaven help the poor souls that actually TAKE TIME to prepare a meal!

    In all actuality, Heaven help the generation of youth we're raising who will never learn to cook beyond reading directions on a package and learning how to operate the microwave. Intelligence & self-dependability sacraficed in the name of convenience!

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  2. "Are we planting more trees? Are we cleaning more beaches? Are we curing cancer, AIDS, the common cold? Are we combating world hunger? Winning the war on drugs? Stopping teen pregnancy or suicides? Ending depression? Fixing the economy???

    Um... nope. Notta one.

    Ah, I know. We're working more."

    ...............

    you have a good point, except for one thing. those things you listed? those ARE some peoples' jobs. working on them, anyway. for a lot of people "working more" does actually translate into making the world a better place.

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