A frictionless existence

We are not meant to live an easy life. Not to say that we are not meant to live a happy, fulfilling life, but rather that we are not meant to coast by each day without obstacles. The quest for an easy life, a frictionless life, has become more pervasive than ever, and at the same time, more accessible than ever. Throughout history, it was the rich, the upper and upper-middle class who led lives that did not require much labor, while the lower and working class toiled not for their own benefit, but for the bourgeoisie to reap what the poor have sown. But now, in the modern age, we have reached a level of affluence for more humans to pursue a life untethered from the nuisance of others. And this easy life is the wrong way to exist.

It is no secret that the digital age has made it increasingly effortless for us to access whatever it is that we want. Technology and digital tools have provided us with resources and shortcuts that allow us to live life on easy mode. Dating apps have made it easier for users to meet new people (not taking into consideration any nuances such as safety and scams), food delivery services bring your meals straight to your front door, and virtually anything we need can be bought through our devices. Even our algorithms are designed around us, giving us just enough space to wander around our echo chamber. We never really have to think outside of whatever it is we want to be thinking about because it is served to us on a silver platter. 

When we exit this digital universe and re-enter the physical world, we experience friction tenfold. Simple things that seem like they should run smoother than they do, such as public transportation (in Boston, at least), something that has stood the test of time and has been a pillar of city life, suddenly are not as efficient and adept as we remember them. We have left a simulated existence, a place that now gets so much money and investment, that when we are caught back in reality, it’s a shock to the system. So, every day, we are more tempted to stay in the digital world where things are made easy for us, where we can access whatever we want in a couple of clicks, a world where everything is made to serve us. And suddenly, we have this warped perspective on how life should be lived. We believe that there is too much friction in the physical world, when in reality, the struggles and challenges you face every day are normal. That is not how life should be lived.

There is value in the difficult things in life. When you look at social media, say your Instagram profile, all the pictures you post are some of the happiest, your more favorable moments throughout the recent past. And we hear people say it all the time, but this just isn’t real. Through a digital lens, you are able to cultivate and create a life that really isn’t yours because what is missing is the struggle. It’s missing the hardships that you’ve endured, the journey to the peak of the actual mountain; you’re missing the piece that makes you human. 

One example that really comes to mind is the rampant rise of reading. All the conversations online on genre preferences, the controversies on and about the book community, more or less boil down to the reason why someone is choosing to pick up a book. For some of us, it’s an educational pursuit. To learn something new and expand our minds. For others, it’s a feat of escapism. Reading to distract yourself from the stress and weight of the “real world”. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not about to bash on people who choose to read for the latter reasons. Lord knows that I have done the same throughout my life. But at the same time, I think that reading should not always be a frictionless experience. It’s important to diversify the media you consume, and with books, it’s important to read hard books. “Hard books”, whether that means the prose is less accessible to the mass audience or because the concepts are more nuanced and complex than what meets the eye, the definition of difficulty varies person to person. But in essence, allowing yourself to struggle and toil through a challenging read allows you to develop intellectual stamina, encourages critical thinking, and promotes longer focus and attention span, a skill that is seriously lacking among a lot of us today. Obviously, the discussion goes beyond what I have just detailed, and there are many additional elements to the argument, but needless to say, a frictionless existence does not serve you. 

So, is all this to say that friction equates to meaning, and that a frictionless life means a meaningless life? I think to an extent, yes. When you’re sitting back and letting all these tools and machines do things for you, think for you, then what do you derive out of that? When things are too easy, it’s difficult to find meaning in them. This isn’t to argue that the Internet and technology are bad, but when you’re online, you don’t have to reckon with stuff. You don’t have to face the harsh realities of current events, genocide, and hate crimes if you don’t want to. Ultimately, the choice is in your hands. You can still live in the virtual world and gain something from it, it’s just that the hellscape of it is built so you don’t have to struggle. 

The best things in life come out of struggle. The satisfaction of your hard work, your sweat and tears, and hours of labor pay off. The struggle is the path, and how you handle the journey to success is where you will find meaning. The most disappointing part of accepting a frictionless existence is not that you are bound to fail or that you won’t know how to handle the most minuscule of interferences. The most damaging part of a frictionless existence is all that you will miss out on by not putting yourself out there. Life is hard, and that’s the best part of it.