the most overrated part of modern life

#10 - why convenience is not a time-saver

I’ve heard the phrase before as: “If you want to learn who rules over you, simply find out who you are not allowed to criticize.” Well, in modern America, it should read: if you want to learn what your values are, find out which advertisements are most effective on you.

I’ve spent the last couple of weeks setting up a new apartment. I’m thinking a lot about how to be intentional with my new space. At first, I set up my computer in the middle of my room. But aren’t I trying to spend less time on the computer, not more? I ended up putting the computer and standing desk in the corner by the window, to open up the possibilities of the space. It’s worked so far.

All this got me thinking - yes, I can do almost everything on my computer, but does that make it my most important possession? And since my smartphone can do most of the same things, and more, and is portable, isn’t that my most important possession?

The answer is a low and doleful “yes”. It is my most important possession. When I lost my phone in April, my life was on pause for a whole week. It wasn’t until I got a replacement that things started to go on as normal again.

I thought back to when I was a teenager and smartphones were first coming out. I remember them being pitched as the ultimate convenience, packing the utility of a cell phone, computer, MP3 player, GPS unit, and gaming console into one ultra-portable device. I remember the optimism of those times. I remember the excitement.

Now I feel cursed by my phone. I feel tethered to it. Leashed, really. And I’ve been trying to fight that by leaving it at home when I run errands. I leave it on ‘do-not-disturb’ mode most of the time. Very few apps have push notifications enabled, and mostly those that are the result of a real human trying to reach me.

I am left disappointed by the promise of convenience that fueled the optimism of my youth. I am left wishing I knew where that time freed up went most days, when I find myself scrolling on social media despite my very best intentions. I am left between two extremes: acquiescing to the burdens of the present, or becoming a fallow Luddite.

In the end, convenience is nothing more than a secondary value, and if its only purpose is to free up more of my time for watching advertisements on my phone, then for the love of all that is good in this world, let me be inconvenienced.

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** since you all seem to like my ‘reflection’ posts a lot, i’m going to start posting one every other week, with reviews in between. enjoy! **