"Convenience is not an acceptable foundational value for society. It's a disease." - Cameron Diaz.
During my recent travels, I was struck by the increase of vending machines available at the O’Hare airport.
There were the standard vending machines with chips, granola bars and other packaged snacks.
There were also machines with gourmet cupcakes, fresh salads, fancy makeup and anything you may have forgotten in your diaper bag.
Convenience is…well…convenient.
When you are hungry, in a hurry and can just push a button for a snack? Awesome!
When you are hungry, in a hurry but want something healthy and can still just push a button? Amazing!
When you have a screaming child, no diaper, and you are on your last goldfish and can just push a button? GAME CHANGER!
Right?
And…
There is a long-term cost to short-sighted solutions.
It isn’t about judging quick-fixes as right or wrong.
It isn’t about judging wants and needs as right or wrong.
It isn’t about how worthy you are to have a gourmet cupcake while you are waiting for 4 hours until your next flight.
It is an opportunity to reconnect with what is most important, at the core of who we are.
And then to consciously choose, knowing our choices have impacts.
And then to take responsibility for the impact our choices made.
The belief that the more convenient something is, the more right it must be, is false.
Not good or bad, just not true.
There is no vending machine to know how to ride a bike.
There is no vending machine that can produce viable human life.
There is no vending machine with unwavering peace and security at the ready.
There is no vending machine to bypass the discomfort and confusion of the human condition.
Our idealized value of convenience, and our insistence of getting whatever we want, whenever we want it, is producing an impact.
"What is the impact?" you might wonder.
This week there was another school shooting, by someone who had easily purchased firearms, and was clear about what he intended to do.
There is no shortage of responses to the event, the pain produced, the reason why it happened, or solutions to preventing it from ever happening again.
When we (as a society) are more concerned about what is most convenient for us in THIS moment, we fall short of meeting the broader needs of our families, communities and nation.
Once again, there is a long-term cost for short-sighted solutions.
Once again, this is an opportunity to reconnect with what is most important at the core of who we are.
And then to consciously choose, knowing our choices have impacts.
And then to take responsibility for the impact our choices made.
I don’t think we’ve consciously chosen, with full recognition that our choices have impacts. Since we haven’t consciously chosen, how in the world can we step into responsibility for the impacts of our choices? And yet...it is still our responsibility, no matter how much we try to pass the buck...The buck will keep getting passed until we step up and say,
"I chose to pursue the convenience of money, instead of the value of human life, I will now take responsibility for the impact of my choice."
"I chose to pursue the convenience of agreeing with the crowd, instead of the value of safety for the most vulnerable among us. I will now take responsibility for the impact of my choice."
"I chose to pursue the convenience of anger and blame, instead of the value of compassion and knowing I have been on the other side before. I will now take responsibility for the impact of my choice."
"I chose to pursue the convenience of _________, instead of the value of _______. I will now take responsibility for the impact of my choice."
We ALL have something we have chosen, and a corresponding responsibility that is ours to take. The question is, are we willing and ready to take responsibility for the impact of our choices?
Don’t pass the buck.
Know what is important for YOU - know what YOU value.
Choose consciously, in alignment with your values.
Take responsibility for the choices YOU make, and the impact they have on the world around you.
What really matters, under all the layers of personal interpretation, hearsay, politics, financial or religious motivation, and emotional upheaval, is rarely convenient.
With tenderness,
Rachel
Rachel Sartori is an Embodiment and Wholeness Coach. She is kick-ass and heart-centered whether she is showing up as a workshop/retreat facilitator, a private coach, a writer or a speaker. Rachel invites you to exercise your soul, and participate in the healing of your own heart and the world around you. With Rachel, all is welcome, all the time.
Read: Exercise Your Soul: Ignite Healing and Wholeness in your Life and Live from the Inside Out
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