a culture of convenience

two stories:

the other day i was talking with the administrative woman at my chiropractor's office about why erin hadn't shown up on time for her appointment. i told her that erin was taking the bus from work and she asked, "is the car on the fritz?" no, i told her, we're just trying to use the car less and public transport more... save the world a little, you know? apparently she takes the bus when there's too much snow to drive in, and "it's okay, but taking the car is just so much more convenient".

yesterday my boss was complaining to me about how the kitchen is now supplied with paper cups instead of the styrofoam ones we used to have. "now you have to use two cups or else it's too hot to hold on to," she says. i suggested that maybe if she used an actual mug for her coffee, then she wouldn't have to waste two cups or burn her hands. she assured me that she has a couple of mugs IN HER OFFICE, but that if she uses those, then she has to WASH them afterword. erin says i should have offered to wash them for her, and that's a good idea except that the moment had passed.

these are just two examples of what i'm starting to notice about how very many things in our culture are based around the idea of convenience. we buy our bread because it's more convenient than making it. we throw our clothes in the dryer because it's more convenient than hanging them up on a line. we drive our personal vehicles to the store, four blocks away, because it's more convenient than walking with the granny-cart.

what is convenience, anyway?

the first definition that dictionary.com comes up with is this:
[kuhn-veen-yuhnt]
–adjective 1. suitable or agreeable to the needs or purpose; well-suited with respect to facility or ease in use; favorable, easy, or comfortable for use.
2. at hand; easily accessible: Their house is convenient to all transportation.
3. Obsolete. fitting; suitable.

"easy". convenience makes life "easier" for us. it makes us need to think and plan less. it makes it so that we no longer have to have nearly as much knowledge as we used to. i'm learning, really LEARNING, so many new skills and ideas now that i've given up a lot of modern convenience items. i now KNOW how to make sourdough bread. i KNOW that putting the starter in the fridge for most of a week won't kill it (found that out this morning. yay!). i KNOW that i need to check the schedule for the bus before i leave the house. i KNOW that putting laundry on the line in the morning means i only spend 25 minutes at the laundromat now instead of the hour and a half i used to spend. i KNOW that when my plants start to turn yellow in the leaves, it means they need a bigger pot.

these things are a big deal to me. i'm proud of my knowledge. i don't think it makes me "better" than my neighbors who don't know these things. i take pleasure in learning and using the skills i have. i take pleasure in finding ways to do something "the best way". i'm starting to take pleasure in trial and error.

that was much more than fifteen minutes ;)