Convenience Is Killing Us All

The biggest problems we face globally are symptoms of laziness

Jeff Hayward
4 min readApr 17, 2023

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Cars pack the fast food parking lot and drive-thru. From author using Midjourney v5

When we consider our biggest collective global problems, we might think of climate change, famine, traffic congestion/pollution, and rampant capitalism. But these are merely side effects of the real issue — the deep human desire for convenience.

Cars are now being built that can parallel park themselves, automatically brake for hazards, and even travel across a city without a driver. At the same time, drivers are probably relying less on their own instincts, knowing the on-board computer will correct their mistakes. Well, not always — sometimes there are accidents and fatalities involved.

This is probably why I see people driving around as if there’s no cell phone law in Ontario. Distracted driving is supposed to be against the law with a fine of $615 or more. But I see people balancing their steering wheel/large pop with their knees as they cruise down my street, while they stare blankly into their device. I would wave them down, but they probably wouldn’t notice.

Phoning it in daily

Speaking of smartphones, these have driven up our laziness a lot in the past couple of decades. We all have one now, and would rather text our neighbour than knock on their door. We’d rather…

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Jeff Hayward

Ex-reporter. AI critic. Nostalgia lover. Canadian. Follow my publications Ai-Ai-OH and CanadEH.