When compared to only thirty years ago, the advancements in technology today are truly incredible. From smartphones to self-driving cars, the technology found in our world today has changed the way we live forever. For example, many household appliances such as washing machines or dishwashers have made simple chores both easier and more efficient. Many of the items that we use daily help make our lives more convenient, but is it possible that our lives have become too convenient?

Laziness has become an obvious and common issue in our modern world. Many people around the world, especially teens, are being consumed by the idea of “I’ll do it tomorrow.” Laziness can come from a variety of sources such as lack of interest or simply just being tired. Everyone tends to become lazy at times, but in recent years, laziness has become more of a lifestyle or bad habit rather than something that happens every once in a while. Since laziness rates tend to be higher in children or teens, many parents of young children may often complain about their child and their laziness. The idea of being lazy is ultimately out of a person’s control, but what if people are actually being taught how to be lazy? In fact, there is a chance that the various amounts of technology available at our fingertips may be to blame.

New technology and inventions are created mainly to make our lives more efficient and productive. For example, the sewing machine was created to allow clothing manufacturers a faster and easier way to produce clothing. These innovative inventions tend to take the “hard” out of hard work. In fact, many people have changed their philosophy from “hardwork and dedication” into “work smarter, not harder.” This new way of thinking may be the leading cause of laziness in our world today. In the late 1800s, the first car was created to make traveling from one place to another easier than walking. Although easier than walking, one must still apply both physical and mental effort in order to drive the car. As many of you know, Google has recently developed a self-driving car, completely free from human control. Even though this new technology may be seen as convenient or practical, self-driving cars can easily induce the idea of doing nothing while something is being done for you. This type of lifestyle is being introduced almost everywhere, not just driving. The Roomba taking away the need to sweep or vacuum, the Amazon Echo taking away to need to look something up, and even automatic doors take away the need to push or pull them open. 

As time goes on, our lives are becoming more and more autonomous. Many people around the world have developed an increase of laziness due to our robotic friends that do everything for us. Laziness is indeed a natural thing for everyone to experience, but along with these new technologies one’s laziness could potentially get out of hand. If you are someone who owns one of these autonomous devices, try to avoid using them all the time to cut back on reliance on technology. Take some time every once in a while to do some things on your own because our robot friends are here to help us, not to serve us.