Ever had to cause to wonder what is meant by convenience? I sometimes wonder what is meant by convenience. Take washing for instance. Washing used to be carrying a big basket of dirty laundry down to the river, or to the local spigot. There you would sit and hammer away at the linen while gabbing merrily with one’s neighbours; perhaps someone would sing but there would be a kind of social connectedness in doing laundry. Now acquiring convenience apparently dictates that you don’t head to the river, the spigot or the easy familiarity of working at a common task. That you sit at home and move between your convenience producing technology like a florist with a water spray.
What I’m saying is laundry used to be social. The same way music used to be social. The same way work used to be social. All within the community. Now communities are composed of tasks that separate social connections from community.
Laundry used to be social but it got convenienced out of existence by washing machines. Working used to be social but cars convenienced the hell out of that too. Music is piped to your living room and with the idiot box, ny father’s name for the television, conveniently suppresses the desire to go out and actually talk to people.
Mind you all these ‘conveniences’ need to be paid for not just in estrangement but also in cold hard cash. It’s nice to know that so many people are making money from misery. I think most people would put merely drug dealers and arms dealers, and maybe US doctors in this category. I like to spread my net a little wider.
Finally, how would you define convenience. Is it just me or is convenience the antonym for society?
ishonestythebestpolicy said,
August 9, 2007 at 8:20 pm
I think the intention of convenience was to make things easier but over time, it has become the antonym for society. Like, making things more convenient is supposed to free up your time so you can do more things you want to do like socialize and be merry. Unfortunately, more things take up that time, and thus, we are too busy and work too much. Down with convenience!
tokyobabylon said,
August 9, 2007 at 11:26 pm
I couldn’t agree more. I would like to hear more of your thoughts so that this blog becomes a truly collaborative affair.
You see it is my contention that there are a great many of us who like Neo from the Matrix have chosen the red pill of truth; consequences be damned.
The alternative, taking ‘the blue pill’ will consign us to a life of unthinking habit, where the truth would only grate and grind at us.
I think one reason why The Matrix was a massive success, besides the sunglasses and the way Trinity wears rubber, was that it transposed a life of meaning on top of one that was meaningless then said we all have a choice.
I hope that the choice we appear to have made is the one that will win out in the end, but even if it is not I believe it will provide us with a sense of purpose that will invigorate us and keep our minds young and vibrant.
Everything begins with thinking.