Easy and Risky

We are living in a period where convenience is the vogue: from no-cook noodles, instant coffee, instant weight loss pills to instant messaging. The internet is one of the most promising inventions of the human race in terms of making life more convenient. It is undeniable that the internet is a very practical mode of communication, in contrast with the old fashioned ways: face-to-face conversations, snail-mail or through telephone. It has definitely caused essential enhancements in business transactions and has improved personal connections between people.

It is also by far, the fastest way of obtaining information. With just typing keywords using search engines, you can have a multitude of answers to your question. Compare this with the pre-internet era where you have to go to a library to get the information you need. Or for a quick research, you should have at least a complete set of encyclopedia on shelf.

I personally favor convenience because life is short and perhaps we could do more in life if we could save time, money and energy. Like if I could find the great diet pill which would have the same effect as hours of sweat and pain in the gym, I would certainly go gulp down the miracle capsule and let it do the work.

There seems to be nothing wrong with choosing convenience. Besides, isn’t it that the primary aim of Technology is to make people’s lives easier? But the question is: Is easier always better? What bothers me about “instant” things is that since they come in handy in no time, they might also disappear that way. Or just like the diet pill earlier, it might have some side effects. Or unlike the old and time-tested methods, it might have second-rate and inferior results.

With the internet, two of my main concerns are its ephemeral and virtual nature. I don’t fully understand where the data is exactly being kept, unlike in real-life manual data storage, where tons of paper are stocked in cabinets, or where inscriptions are carved permanently on sturdy stones. What if there is a world-wide power failure? What if one day the internet just disappears?

The bottom-line is, as the cliché goes, you cannot have it all: you’ll have some, but you’ll have to sacrifice some. You can choose convenience but you might just have to sacrifice security. Convenience comes with Risk. And anything with Risk should perhaps be used with Moderation. More importantly, there should always be Plan B. Count on convenience, but do not depend too much on it.

Why punish yourself by doing things the hard way when there’s an easier way of doing it? Because oftentimes, hard-earned things are more fulfilling. And the easy way tend to become boring.


--- Gen S. (2)