Trending
We are inclined to complain about the situation in which we find ourselves. "If only everything weren't so commercialized." "If only we could go back to the good old days when things were smaller and not dominated by big box stores and big business." "If only we could go back to the times when we only used a phone that was hanging on a wall or sitting on a desk, not one constantly going off in our hands, pocket or purse."
We say these things, but, in fact, we are where we are today because we are creatures of convenience.
It always irks me a bit when the Amazon, FedEx or the UPS truck comes down the driveway with another package. I think about the stores long gone where I used to go to purchase things. But, the truth is that I also like the convenience of having something delivered right to my door.
When I was growing up, we had a scheduled bus service in Jamestown. It was an efficient way to move people around. But, it was not as convenient as jumping in a car and going somewhere whenever we wanted to. So buses pretty much went away, and cars are now everywhere.
Our yearning for convenience is related to a passion for efficiency and time-saving…we don't like to wait any longer than we have to, to get something done. Amazon has probably perfected that to precision…Just "buy with one click" it says, and "bingo," your item will be on the way!
You see the same kind of thing now in the way that cars are maintained. It used to be that you could replace the pads on your brakes but the rotors could be "shaved" or "lathed" and reused again. Now, you just throw the rotors out along with the pads and buy new ones. "Throw away and replace" is the new cost/time-saving technique.
I suppose this approach can be used on a lot of things. "Don't reupholster the chair…just buy a new chair. Forget about fixing up an old TV…it is cheaper to go out and buy a new one." Convenience trumps restoration and repair.
Some of this, of course, is driven by automation and change. In the case of something like a television set, the one you bought five years ago may already be outmoded and the new one has more features on it. Sometimes you can't even give an old TV away because it won't work anymore with all of the new streaming features we now have, and it is "slow"--i.e. it may take a second or two to change a channel instead of a microsecond.
If there is a "lesson of life" in this, it may be that though we may want to think about ourselves as deep thinkers and long-term planners, history show us to be first and foremost consumers… and that means we are driven by convenience.
The next time you are deciding to travel to Europe or to the West Coast, what will you likely do--take a ship, drive a car or take the train? No--you will think about it and realize that in an airplane that will go 500-600 miles per hour, you can travel there in just a matter of hours. It is quicker and more convenient to fly.
And, if you do think that way, don't try to fight it--you are just being human. We have always been creatures of convenience!
Rolland Kidder is a Stow resident.