For the most part, I have to admit that I think modern inventions are making us lazy. Let me explain.
Since the invention of the automobile some time ago, we have been traveling from place to place with ease and speed. We can deny the fact that some of us have become lazier. We drive to all the places we go, to play, to work, to the store that is only fifty meters from the house. A friend of mine who has a big belly no longer believes in walking. Walking and running does not exist in your life. It is always the car, even to the aunt’s house, which is a stone’s throw away. Sounds familiar?
For many people in this modern age, the four wheels have taken over the work of the two legs. Outcome? Well, we are overweight, lack of exercise and we are predisposed to all kinds of diseases. The comfort of vehicles such as cars and bicycles has caused laziness which in turn caused the deterioration of our physical health.
Besides being physically lazy, we also become mentally lazy. This reminds me of something that happened many years ago, a friend of mine Amy who works as an employee at an advertising company. Before the invention of the calculator, you had to do your math using your brain. He could add, subtract, multiply, and divide with a pen and a sheet of paper. Then one day the boss gave him a new calculator. Of course, she was in awe that she could perform all the calculations with just a few keystrokes. No need to think about using the calculator. Therefore, his mental capacity began to decline. He didn’t even realize this until the calculator broke down one day. To his horror, he discovered that he had forgotten how to perform simple math tasks. He couldn’t continue his work until the boss got him another calculator. Isn’t this mental laziness? It took us years to learn to count, but only weeks with the calculator to forget everything.
Of course there are other inventions that contribute to our laziness. Fast foods allow us not to bother with cooking. Paper plates and canned drinks mean we don’t have to wash up after eating. And we also have washing machines, vacuum cleaners, computers, and all kinds of gadgets. It is true that these inventions have made our lives easier, but don’t you think they also make us lazier?
There are signs that new inventions and technology will invade our lives in the future and take over most of our daily tasks. There are already robots and machines capable of performing all kinds of tasks. Perhaps the day will come when everything will be done for us and we will have so much free time that we will finally be able to do all the things we like to do, if there are still things to do.