“In modern contexts, ‘convenience’ is generally accompanied by relational and opportunistic amputation. The ‘convenience’ of electronic social and commercial behavior translates directly into lethal invasions into our privacy and identity. Deliveries encourage us ‘to shelter in place’, depriving us of experiences and opportunities that cannot occur indoors… many people who are entirely physically healthy now rarely or nearly never leave their homes.

Email obliterated relationships that texting ensured would never arise in the first place, and texting is damaging our minds and relationships by depriving us of the crucially nourishing exposure to the music of human voices. Even our phones digitize and distort our speech in ways their analog ancestors couldn’t while our cars deliver routes that we no longer understand or relate to because we are no longer navigating — and this is a metaphor for our culture… our capacity to forge our own relationships, routes and preferences has been disabled.

So the next time you hear about a new ‘convenience’, think three times about what gets sacrificed, killed, or amputated to produce this illusion.”

— an anonymous informant