The Problem with Convenience

We live in a civilization that values convenience over maybe all else. A lot of the things we have developed in this society are purely designed to help us live lives that are easier, without giving us an opportunity to live lives in a deeper way. New kinds of sacks and go to bags are being developed to help us carry things with ease, but what developments are being made to help us carry the emotional baggage? The psychological and spiritual dimensions of our existence are being increasingly seen as something that’s less valuable than the more superficial aspects of our lifestyle.

Consider today’s state of depression in a lot of people throughout the Western world. This depression often occurs in those who are perhaps middle-class, and living with a certain level of comfort. Why is it that those who seem to have decent lives are getting depressed? Well, the reason it’s not so common to see poorer individuals depressed is that they simply don’t have enough time to dwell on their problems.

This sounds like a hollow reading of the situation, but if you consider it it’s actually quite clear. When we have a lot of time on our hands, we’re able to go through scenarios and situations in our head again and again. This can be a good thing, to a certain level, but if we’re given a lot of spare time with which to just sit and consider our lives, we’re eventually going to start worrying too much. Problems that really would not be such a big problem start to gain weight and significance, and after long enough it can become difficult just to get out of bed in the morning.

Let’s consider an example. Say you’re seeing a friend in a week’s time, someone who you’ve had some kind of trouble with in the past. If you’re busy all week, you won’t have much time to think on these problems, and you’ll meet them in a relatively open way. If you just sit and think about these problems the whole time, though, you might start to develop more anger and mistrust over these previous issues. Of course, these issues only exist in your own head, and the reality of the situation could be something totally different. We often believe we can solve problems if we dwell over them enough, but the truth of the matter is that it’s only with the act of doing that problems get solved.

Similar to this, we believe that more advanced technology will assist us get through the difficulties of life, when some of these difficulties are in fact an essential part of what life’s about. Science and technology has increased the size of our TV’s, but human relationships are as tough as ever.

When we live in a society where we’re used to getting everything easily, coming across a thing like a tough relationship can become too troublesome to want to deal with. While technology has spoiled us, we need to break through this barrier and embrace the difficulties that life offers us.

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