The evil of convenience

I was listening to a podcast about Octavia Butler’s Parable series, and one of the hosts mentioned, I think, the phrase “evil of convenience.” I was struck by this. It put a name to a feeling that I’ve often had.

More convenience is often painted as an unmitigated good. “Wouldn’t it be nice if you didn’t have to go to so many stores to get your shopping done, to have your food delivered to your house, to have your laundry delivered, to have packages delivered within two days, or even hours, to know exactly what kind of coffee you can get no matter where in the world you travel?”

How much of the world are we willing to burn to get our toilet paper delivered faster?

Convenience has a cost. It costs in greenhouse gases, in waste, in the loss of relationships, in the destruction of city neighborhoods, in workers rights and livelihood.

Maybe it’d be OK if you got your toilet paper delivered in 20 minutes, but it cost $200 to do so. Most people would say no way. But maybe that cost would be more representative of what you’re actually buying in that delivery.

Don’t get me wrong. I also buy stuff on Amazon. Convenience is a powerful motivator. For that reason, we should be extra careful about what we’re making convenient. Increased convenience will lead to increased use. Is that a path that will be good for us? Is the world a better place if we buy things from Amazon more and more?