Technology - the quiet kleptomaniac
I have just ridden the Dunstan trail with my lovely better half (Cromwell → Clyde - 42 gloriously scenic kms). We were offered a free e-bike upgrade and the decision was fairly easy, as although there were a few climbs, it was a net descent between the two towns.
It was interesting to see what e-bikes have done to popularize cycling. The bike hire place had around 500 bikes and most came with batteries (and that was one of 4 or 5 bike places in little old Clyde!). On the trail, we could count on one hand the number of bikes we passed that were powered solely by coffee, weetbix, and muesli bars.
E-bikes are amazing. I had people effortlessly blowing past me on climbs where I’m sure they would’ve been pushing a normal bike. Chasing them was a futile exercise as lithium-ion has far more oomph than my little legs!
There’s a thing about technology, it gives but also takes away.
An e-bike makes a steep hill a breeze. But it removes the sense of achievement and satisfaction you get from grinding your way to the top unassisted.
AI will write a story on any given topic far easier than penning it alone. But by writing it yourself, you learn. Using AI, no new nuggets of knowledge are being added to your memory bank, other than possibly refining your prompting skills.
Technology is creating paths of least resistance, and these will always be more well-trodden than the harder alternatives given our inherent laziness. With technology continuing its march into our lives, our challenge will be recognizing the trade-offs we make when choosing our technology-enabled paths of least resistance.
When you reflect on your biggest achievements and sources of satisfaction, there is a high probability they were the result of sustained effort that involved some combination of; enduring difficulty, exerting skill, and showing perseverance.
Understanding these trade-offs will become an increasingly important skill if we want to maximize our enjoyment in the short time we have on this planet. I can see it will become easier to have a less fulfilled life by taking all the easy routes that tech affords us.
The e-bike is absolutely the right choice for many, but not for me (yet). If I want to write a thesis to build my knowledge on a topic, using AI to author it is like going to the gym and getting your trainer to do your workout for you.
But the trick is not to be like the gym junkies, the tech bros, and the ‘take a concrete pill and harden up’ people who loudly celebrate taking tougher options in every pursuit.
Instead, it will be taking a thoughtful approach and making considered choices between the easier tech-enabled option and the harder manual route.
Choose easy when getting to your destination is the priority. And choose the harder route when it elicits the greater reward. We remember the achievements that required effort, not ease.
Don’t let tech steal achievement and satisfaction from you. It’s an unpunishable crime that only you can permit.
