Too Much Convenience Is Not Good for Us
Do not take for granted all the conveniences we have today but use them to promote personal growth and accomplishments for yourself and others.
By Leland E Pulley
Most of us have a lot of convenient things in our lives. So, the question is how much convenience do we need, and how much is really good for us?
When my parents got their first television set, it was black and white. Color TV was not available until a few years later. Besides this only one channel was available. Eventually, another channel became available. To change the channel, you had to physically get up out of your chair and go to the TV and turn the channel knob on it. Compare this to television today. We have beautiful color on flat screen TV's. We have a remote so we can sit in our chair and change whatever we want on the television set. Also, there are many channels and networks that are available. Yes, we like convenience, but do we really need this much of it?
While growing up, nobody had automatic garage door openers. You had to get out of your car and manually pull the door up yourself. At the time I never considered this a big burden. Today all new homes come with garage door openers. Related to this there are many conveniences in today's cars. One is a feature that tells you when you back up if you're getting too close to another object. Another is a tire pressure screen on the dashboard that tells you about the pressure in each tire. This list could go on, but you should see my point.
When we got married, we traveled across the country to my first job. Over the next several years we traveled across the United States five times. What did we use to guide us in our journeys? Initially we used paper maps that were printed for each state of the country. Eventually GPS was put in cars. Plug in a destination and it will tell you how to get there, plus the milage, and the best route to take.
When I graduated from college, individuals did not have the Internet. We did not get individual computers in our lives for many years thereafter. Now everybody has a computer in their home and business. Computers help us in many ways. We can get more done in less time and improve quality too.
The first cell phones were the size of a brick. With advancements in technology, they have become smaller and more capable of doing various things for us. Today everybody has a cell phone and uses it almost every day. How convenient for all of us. For example, a lot of people order products online via their cell phones and these are delivered at their homes. This is a lot of convenience.
All the above illustrations and many more like them demonstrate how much our lifestyles have been changed by convenience. The question is, are all the changes good or perhaps neutral or perhaps not good for us?
Yes, convenience has many benefits, but it can have many drawbacks too.
It is easy to become more complacent and maybe even a little lazy when everything is so convenient for us.
Convenience easily leads to more sitting and less physical activity. This can contribute to weight gain and less physical endurance.
When so many things are given to us in a convenient way, it is easy to think or judge that we are very intelligent people. Unfortunately, this is a false presumption because most conveniences have come through others or their efforts. We are merely utilizing convenience to make our own life easier or more comfortable. This doesn't contribute to a good work ethic, nor does it motivate us to achieve.
Convenience gives us more free time. But if we do not utilize this time in good and wholesome ways for ourselves and others, what is the real benefit?
When things are convenient, we usually do not appreciate them as much. There is less gratitude and humility.
In some situations, convenience kills the incentive to act or initiate new activities or endeavors in our lives. This usually leads to more boredom and less risk taking.
Because of the Internet and cell phones and computers it is easy to reduce personal contact with other people. You send emails rather than write letters. You talk on your cell phone with another person without ever meeting them in person. Such things can lead to social isolation where you have lots of people around you but few real personal friends. We all need social interaction.
I do not know how much convenience is in your life, nor do I know its impact on you personally. But I challenge you to consider all the conveniences you have or experience. Are you using them to really be more productive? Are you accomplishing more things? Are you developing more skills? Are you setting and achieving more goals? Are you happier with yourself and your lifestyle? What effect are conveniences having on your character?
Before you seek more conveniences ask yourself about their impact on your life. Why do you need them? Will they cost money and strain your budget? How long will they be utilized?
Convenience never produced great victories in our lives. If this is what you want, then keep your list of conveniences under control. And remember too much convenience limits spiritual growth.
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