Convenience and Comfort

Sometimes I am astounded when I think of the progress of the last several centuries.  The discoveries we have made through science and advancements that followed make it nearly impossible to imagine what life was like before our current age.  Consider that I am currently drinking a cup of coffee from Columbia, eating an apple from Chile and strawberries from California, with a kitchen full of many other fresh foods commonly available in our local grocery store.  These foods are kept fresh in my home in a refrigerator, with a freezer that creates ice cubes automatically.  There are devices that cook my food slowly, quickly, or at ludicrous speed depending on my patience and hunger.  If the weather outside my home is too hot or cold, I can come in to a comfortable controlled environment thanks to my personal space heating or cooling unit.  When night falls I simply flip a switch to have light wherever I want.  Worldwide events are easily accessible to me either through satellite signals from space to my television or fiber optic cables bringing the world wide web to my computer.  My daily routine includes a journey of more than 30 miles round trip, which I make in a personal automobile.  During the drive, I can connect my mp3 player to the stereo and have my favorite artists play my favorite songs in whatever order I choose.  If I want to talk with family and friends across the country or around the world, I can call, text, chat, email, Skype, Facebook, etc. to communicate with them at any time.  Or if I want to visit them, I can climb into a winged metal tube and be there in mere hours.  In the context of human history, how ridiculous is this?  Kings and rulers throughout history have not had any of the conveniences we take for granted.  Even today, most people today exist without many of the luxuries that are part of our every day lives.  (And I haven't even touched indoor plumbing, sewers, roads, restaurants, schools, access to medical care, recreation, etc.  The list could quickly become overwhelming.)

In my observation this creates a lens that views life as an exercise in comfort and indulgence.  Left unchecked, it can lead to a sense of entitlement and a feeling that life should generally go the way we like, when we expect it to.  There are two things about this lens that concern me.  First, I could argue that the abundance of our conveniences cause us to be generally dissatisfied when things don't go as we would hope.  The better life gets, the easier it is for us to be disappointed.  (For an interesting examination of this subject, read The Progress Paradox by Gregg Easterbrook.)  Second, the speed and convenience we are used to causes us to be impatient for new technology.  In many cases, people turn to credit cards, car loans or other debt to buy things they can't afford in the pursuit of having the latest greatest new gadget.  (Consider than in the midst of the worst economy in more than 30 years, Apple stores had lines of hundreds or thousands to buy their new iPad this spring.)  According to MarketWatch, 8 of 10 people are now living paycheck to paycheck.  When people live with debt they will almost always pay more than if they live on cash, causing unnecessary financial stress.

So how do we recognize this lens and combat the adverse effects it creates?  Personally I try to start with a grateful attitude for what I do have, rather than focusing on what I do not.  I also find value in giving my time to help people in worse situations than mine, whether that is trips to Haiti, a retirement home, or a soup kitchen.

I would love your thoughts on this.  Am I way off base here?  How do you see this lens?

#1 - America the Fantastic, Part I

(I better start with a disclaimer.  I love America.  I am proud of my American heritage.  It definitely colors my understanding of reality, so I think it makes a great place to start.)

With that out of the way, I want to name a few American lenses.  The first lens is one of personal freedom.  We LOVE freedom.  A favorite refrain of my youth was "You're not the boss of me!"  And in many ways, that refrain echoes through the American spirit.  Sure, we recognize that we have to play by the rules.  But in general, as Americans, we know that each individual has the freedom to choose their own destiny.

It is freedom that gives birth to the entrepreneurial spirit and fuels innovation.  Our ability to challenge the status quo and ask the question "What if...?" brings ideas to life.  Even from the founding of our country, the Bill of Rights outlines ways the government is limited from inhibiting our individual freedom.

The counter-balance to this freedom is personal responsibility.  Without being responsible for ourselves, we run the danger of using our freedom in ways that can harm others.  But I must admit, I've never heard America described as the "Land of the responsible."

A second American lens I see is our national pride.  Americans are proud to be American.  (News flash from the Department of Redundancy Department.)  We love the democratic process, market capitalism (mostly), freedom, etc.  Our pride in our home plays out state by state.  (Just ask a Texan which state is the best.)  We even wonder why other people wouldn't want to live here.

The funny thing about this national pride is that it is common to people of all nationalities.  I went to college with a young man from Ghana who was convinced it was the best place on the planet.  During the health care debate, my Canadian friend couldn't understand why some Americans wouldn't want their same type of coverage.  When I visited Haiti earlier this year I met people who absolutely loved being Haitian, even in the midst of a country still decimated from a tremendous earthquake.

An interesting side effect of our national pride, coupled with our international power and influence, plays out as we try to spread the American ideal to other nations.  We like the idea of democracy taking hold in the Middle East, capitalism empowering Africa and freedom opening up Asia.  This is all done with the assumption that the change we desire would make life better in these other countries.  Understanding the universal nature of national pride, sometimes we run the risk of pushing change that they aren't asking for.

I'll tackle other aspects of American lenses later, but I wanted to start with our individual freedom and national pride.  How do you see these playing out in your life and interactions with others?  How do these lenses color your understanding of life, culture, etc.?  (Sorry to my friends outside the states, but you can contribute with your observations about America and how they compare with your home.)

Why Lenses and What Are They?

I had thought about writing a book, but a wise author I know advised me to start with a blog.  With a blog, I can work out my thoughts in small chunks, plus enter into conversations with people around the world to refine my ideas, build on the good and scrap the junk.  I hope this concept of lenses opens communication between people with various backgrounds and experiences.  The reality is that we all see life, faith, culture, politics, etc. through complex lenses based on our upbringing, geography, education and more.

So let me start by defining lenses.  Lenses are how we filter and understand information and experiences based on our worldview.  Lenses will color our definition of what is normal, what is right or wrong, and why we believe things are they way they are.

The main challenge with even starting this blog is that lenses are very subjective and no two people will view life through the exact same lenses, even if they often agree.  But understanding our lenses can help us to communicate with others, and recognize that their lens might be different than ours.  With that recognition, we can start to understand each other more as well.

When I think of lenses in this context, I remember the movie National Treasure.  Ben Gates (played by Nicholas Cage) finds a set of glasses that belonged to Ben Franklin.  These glasses had several movable lenses that uncovered secret writing on the back of the Declaration of Independence.  As each lens came into place, different pieces of the puzzle came into focus.  I think looking at our lenses will have similar outcomes, helping us to understand why we see the world as we do.

In looking at lenses, I will mention many that apply to me and know that they won't apply to everyone.  There will be some lenses I recognize in others that won't apply to me, too.  Some lenses will have an obvious parallel which I will use to name and describe them.  Others, not so much, so we'll just name those as we go.  My goal will be one blog post per week, unless I'm feeling extra inspired.  I'm looking forward to the conversation.  Thanks for being a part!