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Whenever I go out to bike, I have to look for other ways that will slightly not put my life at risk. So I go through unpaved surfaces and undeveloped roads while the rest of the world/cars use the more convenient highways. People paid for convenience anyway. Taxes, petrol, and vehicle maintenance. Commuting by a human-powered vehicle is certainly not easy. But in the end, it makes me feel happier, with all that sweat after bicycling through this warm and humid weather, not to mention the 'thrill' of owning the road. At first, I was being bullied by speeding cars, motorbikes, and the usual catcallers in the trucks. Now I learned not to care. I'm proud of my investment and daily physical work. And I feel lucky enough not to be living in a place that is not bike-friendly. I now learn first-hand how to struggle on the road as a cyclist. It is hard but I feel satisfied at the end of the day. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a car-hater or something. It is certainly faster and more convenient to get to your destination without sweating.  But at what cost?

The first-world, the epitome of  'convenience'. The modern kids are the product of the so-called effortless and efficiency. Things have become faster and more convenient than ever. Even the daily drudgery has been solved through 'plug and play' too. Gone were the days that you have to whack your clothes in the river, thanks to the washing machine. The real emancipator of women. You no longer have to eat spoiled foods too, thanks to the refrigerator. There's also the microwave if you don't fancy cooking. You no longer have to watch the birds or go fishing because you don't have time for that anymore. Good thing there's television.

I'm not against these convenience technologies even though I didn't really grow up with some of those. I know how to operate okay but I can certainly live without these things. There's no drama if something is not working for me. I can do manual work. I can exert physical effort without the first-world drama. Washing my sweaty shirt and bra while I shower is not irrational to me. I have gotten used to this activity during my hunter-gathering/nomadic/traveling years. I no longer need to buy office clothes avoiding judgment from female coworker bullies. There are just the bed sheets and curtains that I can take to the laundry once in a while but that's about it. In short, I no longer have a lot of things to wash so I don't need a machine. Free time means it's time to burn some calories. 

If you were coddled and raised in front of the television, I can't imagine your life without modern conveniences. You see, that is the problem. Convenience is not evil but they might make you powerless. It's a big modern convenience industry out there, these convenience technologies were invented to be afforded by those who need to work all their lives. These products just cripple your ability to operate independently. These things were designed to keep you coming back for more.

Total control, that's what it means. You are being powerless because these things now own you. When you let convenience decide for everything, you surrender too much. It removes your ability to think. Just push a button and everything works for you. It is all about minimizing mental resources, the mental exertion required to choose. Convenience is all about one-click these days, the experience with no effort. And convenience means conformity. 

The idea is to eliminate physical work. But what is wrong with physical work anyway? What's wrong with getting tired? What's wrong with struggle? What's wrong with discomfort? That is all part of humanity.  A struggle can be the solution, it is what will give meaning to your life. Instead of being afraid of struggle, go after it and you will see what I mean. Make your own choices in life instead of letting convenience enslave you to death.

No wonder the hunter-gathers were happier. They had a lot of serious physical work. They were so present-focused that they never worried about resources. They never had to store food in the refrigerator. Hunting is hard work for sure. You can be hungry and sleep out in the cold. But did the hunter-gatherers have it better? Until civilization came. People started getting taxed for remaining in one place. They also learned to crowd chickens in a cage. Now it is more convenient to buy microwavable food than to hunt. 

Which also explains why the people in the developing world are happier despite the unfavorable circumstances and lack of modern conveniences. You can see people in a long queue with huge amount patience, I guess that's what not being slaves to modern conveniences can teach you. These people and their forefathers know how to struggle.

Playing the guitar, gardening, cycling, real cooking, running, swimming, painting... these activities are not easy. Any activity that requires physical exertion and represents you. It is not supposed to be easy to express your individuality. But these days, it is just as easy as creating a profile on social media. And there you go, it is now easy to be you! Easy things don't necessarily mean happiness. Even easy people and convenient relationships don't make you happy. Convenience can eliminate the quest for meaning.

Modern conveniences are supposed to give you more free time with other things that matter but it seems that it only means more time in front of the television. These things compensate for the lack of time to do things after work. Instead of going out to see the world, people claim that they don't need to travel. Convenience is supposed to liberate you from the humdrum and the mundane. The promise of effortless and efficiency. But the dark side is that convenience erases the challenges and struggles that give meaning to life. It slowly eliminates what makes a human being. Don't forget the joy of doing something difficult and slow, the satisfaction that comes from doing what is not the easiest. But you might have already been embracing inconvenience without you knowing it, and these are called - hobbies, passions, and callings.