The Cost of Convenience

Earlier this week, I penned a column focused on the frustrations of constantly encountering the increasing reality of being asked to do things for ourselves (supposedly for our own convenience) that previously were performed by others on our behalf—solving a credit card problem, checking out of the grocery store, ordering from a menu at a restaurant, and plenty more things.

The Convenience Conundrum
Sure, the truth is that it is mostly a matter of being convenient for the business involved and driven by finding ways to increase profit margins. However, in my view, the worst aspect of all of this is constantly reducing the amount of interaction between humans.

A Generation Without Connection
There are college graduates who have never attended a class in person. No lively debate. No direct mentoring from a teacher. Everything is done online. How can that possibly be a good thing?

The Human Cost of Progress
For certain, big box stores are the monsters who have been around for a long time, driving smaller, local enterprises out of business. Now, the demise of retail is on steroids since the advent of online purchases delivered to your door the next day. The cost in human terms? Nearly 100,000 Americans lost their jobs this past year in the retail sector.

AI and the Next Wave of Disruption
Most recently, we are starting to see the impact of artificial intelligence (AI). According to ChatGPT, it is estimated that between 100,000 and 300,000 jobs will go away as a result of the impact of AI in the next year.

Progress Isn’t Reversing
This is not a plea to return to the “good old days.” Most of us understand that “progress” will not reverse itself anytime soon. We grasp that once Americans adjust and become accustomed to new ways of doing things, that is how it will be until the next big thing.

Finding the “Pony” Again
Ronald Reagan was fond of telling the story where “there has to be a pony in there somewhere” was the punchline, a phrase intended to capture the sentiment that remaining positive was a very good thing. That is how we need to begin to look at our situation. There has to be a value and premium put upon finding new ways to assure we humans do not continue habits that further isolate ourselves from one another.

A Society Struggling in Silence
The statistics confirm we are not in a good place. Right at 50,000 annual suicides, a seven percent increase in less than five years. Another 14 to 15 million have given it serious consideration. 16 percent feel lonely or isolated all or most of the time. That’s around 45 million individuals. Given what is going on all around us, why would anyone be surprised at these numbers? It is my view that we cannot survive as anything resembling a civilized society unless this starts to change.

The Value of Community and Faith
There is no single answer to this crisis. Yet, during this season of Lent in the Christian faith, it is worth noting that those who attend church an average of twice or more a month have a life expectancy seven years longer than the rest of the population. Worship and fellowship do seem to have a benefit in human terms. I am not here to preach, but would lend my voice to that of my soon-to-be 99-year-old mother, who has long observed “A little bit of Jesus never hurt anyone.”

A Call for Everyday Interaction
The point is not an attempt to have others decide that organized religion is the best path. The point would be that, as a society, we need to aggressively find more ways for more people to interact with each other as a matter of ordinary daily life. We need a conscious effort to make it happen.

Keep It Human, Not Political
As an aside, this goal of accomplishing more human interaction should not become a soapbox for anyone’s personal agenda, much less their political agenda. The human condition should be considered more important than any of that stuff.

Time to Reconnect
The time has come for us to cease and desist from finding ways to separate ourselves from one another and begin to simply get together and interact with one another as we have done for centuries.

Remember this: It is unnatural and bad for us to isolate ourselves from one another. Technology absolutely presents a challenge to determining how best to do it, but do it we must. What do you think?