Lost Ambition

Technology makes life easy for us.

Imagine writing a research paper without Google. Imagine carrying CDs instead of your iPod. Imagine going to California on the Oregon Trail.

We take many of those things for granted, especially those technologies that are so ubiquitous in American society.

The purpose of technological advancements is to make life easier, but sometimes, life just becomes too easy. The undesired effect from these comforts is laziness.

As The Temple News reports this week, students have been taking advantage of virtual grocery shopping, where they can order as many products as they want and have them delivered directly to their residence halls.
Laziness.

Off the North Philadelphia stop on the Broad Street Line is a Pathmark, one of the few supermarkets in the area. And just about 10 minutes south of campus via the subway are two other options on South Street – Superfresh and Whole Foods. Not to mention the corner markets, like Cousins a few blocks east of campus.

The options are out there. But one thing holds us back.

Laziness.

The excuses exist – it’s too much to carry back or it’s too scary to head up there. But we’ve grown up in a society that thrives on excuses for irrational behavior. Instead of supporting the local economy and being immersed in the community we’ve decided to live in, we opt for the workers to come to us.

We live on a campus that has fitness centers in all residence halls, in case you don’t feel like walking to the IBC Student Recreation Center. Many offices use instant messengers to communicate with students, eliminating all need to stop by in person. And Tristan Video, the rental store that conveniently sits on Liacouras Walk, actually delivers to all Temple residence halls.
Laziness.

This may seem like a trivial matter. But having groceries delivered to your residence hall is just a part of the larger problem.

It’s almost as if we’re trained to be lazy on campus. Heaven forbid you need to go to Paley Library to pick up and read a book. Imagine going to school as late as the 1990s when the Internet barely existed. Many of us would be horrible college students.

By becoming a virtual world, where nearly everything can be done via Internet Explorer, we lose personal interactions in life. We become more sheltered, more unfriendly, more cynical. And that’s not the way we should be living, especially in a community like North Philadelphia – one that would be more willing to accept college students should they not be so ignorant.

But one thing stops us from trying. Laziness.