Is Convenience Making Us Less Capable?

 

Is Convenience Making Us Less Capable?...

Science and technology have made a huge difference to our lives. Life has become easier, and we have facilities today that earlier we could not even imagine. But somewhere, we need to ask ourselves whether all this convenience is also affecting our ability to think, remember, explore and do things on our own. Earlier, when we travelled to a new place, we would explore it with our own knowledge, ask people for directions and discover things along the way. Today, GPS tells us every turn, the route to take and even how much time we will take to reach. It is certainly convenient, but sometimes going without complete knowledge and exploring a place has its own joy. There is something beautiful about discovering things ourselves instead of having every answer ready before we even begin.

Even in hospitals, technology has transformed healthcare. We have advanced machines, monitors and equipment that help doctors diagnose and treat patients. These facilities are extremely valuable, but they cannot replace human care. A machine can monitor a patient, but a reassuring word, a comforting touch or someone simply sitting beside a patient brings a different kind of comfort. The same applies to children. Today, many children can operate an iPad or iPhone when they are very young. But playing a simple game with parents, siblings or other children teaches them sharing, waiting, communicating, negotiating and enjoying one another's company. These human connections are an important part of growing up and cannot be completely replaced by a screen.

Recently, we have been seeing young children at our clinic, three or four years old, who know how to operate an iPad or iPhone, but are still dependent on adults for some very basic self-help skills. We sometimes make life so easy for children that they do not get an opportunity to learn independence. We remember a four-year-old child who was a little poor in motor skills. We requested the mother to work towards toilet training because the child was still dependent on diapers. The mother explained that the child did not listen and that, with all the work she had to manage, it became difficult if the child did not use the toilet. So, putting on a diaper was easier. We can understand the practical difficulty for a busy parent, but it also makes us wonder: how long will we keep making everything easier for our children? When we do everything for them, we may unintentionally take away opportunities for them to learn independence, responsibility and problem-solving.

We saw something similar with another child who was in the seventh standard during the COVID period. Online classes became necessary, and mothers were often helping children with their schoolwork and projects. When normal education resumed and the child had to sit, read, write, understand lessons and complete work independently, he found it very difficult to cope. He became frustrated and even decided that he did not want to study. He had become so dependent on his mother that the thinking process involved in reading, writing and understanding subjects had become difficult for him. Psychological therapy was eventually needed to help him understand the importance of reading and writing for his education. The mother's intention was never to harm her child. She was simply helping him. But sometimes, even love and help need a balance. If we constantly do things for our children because it is faster or easier, will they get enough opportunities to learn to do those things themselves?

Maths gives us another simple example. Earlier, we would calculate small things in our minds. Today, we reach for a calculator or our smartphone. We do not even need to remember many phone numbers because our phones remember them for us. Of course, there is nothing wrong with using technology. It saves time and makes our work easier. But remembering a number, doing a mental calculation, finding our way or trying to solve a problem without immediately searching for the answer are also exercises for our brain. If every small difficulty is removed, perhaps we also remove some of the opportunities our brain gets to think and practise. Our brain has been given for thinking, learning, remembering, imagining and finding solutions. We should use technology as a tool, but not allow the tool to do everything for us.

The Bhagavad Gita gives us a beautiful reminder through Lord Krishna's words to Arjuna: we have to perform our own duty and take action; simply knowing what needs to be done is not enough. The message of Karmanye Vadhikaraste is often understood as focusing on our actions rather than being consumed by the outcome. There is a deeper lesson here for the way we live today. We cannot expect technology, parents or someone else to do everything for us. A child has to learn by trying, a student has to learn by studying and writing, and we have to exercise our own minds by thinking and finding solutions. The effort may sometimes be slower, messier or more difficult, but that effort is what builds capability. Perhaps this is something we need to remember in a world where convenience is increasingly taking away the need to make an effort ourselves.

We are moving towards a new world where machines will undoubtedly become an even bigger part of our lives. Artificial intelligence, smartphones, smart homes and countless other technologies will continue to make life more convenient. There is nothing wrong with progress. Science and technology can do wonderful things for humanity. But along with progress, we need awareness. Are we giving ourselves enough opportunities to think, explore, remember and solve problems? Are we giving our children enough opportunities to make mistakes, face small difficulties and become independent? Convenience should not mean that we remove every challenge from life.

Perhaps the answer is not to reject convenience, but to use it wisely. Let GPS guide us when we need it, but sometimes explore a road ourselves. Let calculators help us with difficult calculations, but occasionally use our minds for the simple ones. Let children enjoy technology, but also let them play, talk to people, help at home and learn to do things independently. Let hospitals have the best machines, but never allow human care to disappear behind them. Technology can make our lives easier, but our ability to think, learn, feel, communicate and connect is what makes us capable. Convenience should be a support for life, not a substitute for living it.