Imagine an everyday, modern person going back in time 1,000 years ago or even twenty years ago! How well would they fare without the conveniences we have today? It certainly depends on the individual but it is not uncommon to see someone in an absolute panic when they’ve misplaced their phone. We’ve become so accustomed to these conveniences that it has affected our health, caused us to be less appreciative of hard work, led us to believe false perceptions of ourselves, and allowed us to completely disregard the livelihood as well as the lives of others.
Costing our health
One of the most basic human needs is food. One hundred years ago cooking a meal fromscratch was the norm. Today, it has become a rarity. Many young adults have openly admitted they have no idea how to cook so they opt for take out or premade items from the grocery store. This saves time from having to learn a new skill and limits the amount of work a person needs to do in order to eat.
However, at what cost?
When eating food made from scratch you are aware of what ingredients are being used to create the meal. You become more conscience of what you’re putting into your body rather than if it tastes good. The cost is often our health by eating things that are highly processed and designed to taste good with little emphasis on nourishing our bodies.
Less Appreciation of hard work
With convenience we also tend to forget about the amount of work that was put forth in order to experience this. For instance, how much more would we appreciate the homes we live in if we had to build them ourselves. What about if we had to cut down the logs with primitive saws and stack them carefully as the pioneers did before us? Even today, we tend to look down on blue collar workers yet without many of their jobs our society would crumble. When picking up groceries few think about the farmers who grew the crop or raised the livestock, the workers who processed or packaged the food, the logistics behind getting the food to the warehouse then grocery store and eventually into your cart. Modern conveniences have stopped becoming conveniences when they have caused more damage than good. We can make a change by balancing modern advantages while still putting in work to prioritize our health and also not compromising our work ethic. However, with the recent invention of smart phones and the rise of social media deeper issues are forming within our culture at a rapid pace.
A False Perception
With the rise of social media it brought like-minded people together as well as encouragement from others. Bringing others together while encouraging them sounds like a wonderful thing. Yet it isn’t when the encouragement is causing complacency rather than growth. The affirmations are causing harm rather than building character by working towards true accomplishments.
Going back to convenience causing a lack of appreciation in hard work, affirming others that they are perfect just the way the are is actually causing them more harm than good. They don’t need to improve upon themselves, they are already perfect just as there are! In the past, if someone experienced a hardship they not only dealt with it but they grew from it. Today, many our so in love with convenience that they believe hardships should be and can be avoided entirely. However, it is persevering through hardships or through hard work in which we experience our greatest rewards. When you avoid hardships or hard work altogether where is
the reward? Well, through social media you don’t have to work hard for the reward. It comes through with a like or a repost, people commenting how brave or clever you are for the smallest of effort or something that goes against the grain. Yet, this is a fleeting reward and disappears quickly leaving you only to want more. There is no real growth in this and no real reward. This doesn’t seem like much of an issue except maybe a waste of time until it starts changing the ideology of people’s minds and giving them a false perception of themselves.
Increased disregard of others livelihood
This is where the cost of convenience becomes a pro-life issue. Our society has become so self consumed that we are willing to be okay with killing our own offspring because it is not a convenient time for children. Any parent will tell you that raising children is not an easy task. However, the reward is far greater than anything we’ve done. The reward doesn’t happen all of a sudden but it’s shown in small and sometimes big ways, usually unexpected throughout our
lives.
Conclusion
The culture of convenience and self-love is a powerful one. I however believe culture can and will change. The strongest way to fight back against this toxic culture is through love. Whether you’re a parent yourself and are able to display an example selfless love to others through your children or you are a voice for the pro-life movement by giving your time and energy to saving babies from abortion–you are making a difference. You are causing a cultural shift to one that value’s life