The High Cost of a Frictionless Life
The smoother life gets, the less human it feels
Everyday life used to have texture.
You stood in line, talked to the people behind you, forgot the milk, and went back. You asked a neighbor for help, or a friend for a cup of flour.
Now groceries arrive at your door. Movies stream on demand. Tasks get outsourced to AI that can write your list, finish your thought, even mimic your tone.
It all works so well. It’s all so efficient.
And yet—it feels like something essential is slipping away.
This week in The Preamble, we’re looking at what’s lost when everything gets easy—and how to hold onto the human parts that make life meaningful.
PLUS: Child and adolescent psychologist Dr. Lisa Damour on how to bridge the gaps between AI and our children.
Read all this and more, here.
—Sharon McMahon, Editor-in-Chief
My daughter met her boyfriend, who will likely be her husband one day (they're in their late 20s), because she chatted with a stranger in line. (Something she and the rest of my kids teased me mercilessly about doing when they were younger. 🤣) On Labor Day 2024, they had both just flown home from Nashville (had actually been on the same flight but different parts of the plane) and were in line for the shuttle bus to the lot where they'd both parked. They struck up a conversation and learned they had A LOT in common. Meanwhile, a second shuttle pulled up, and a bunch of people from the back of the line rushed to be in the front of the new line, kind of pushing my daughter aside. He let her get in front of him in the new line, but as she boarded, the driver said, "OK, last person" and started to close the door. She said, "No! You have to let him on--he let me get in front of him." Several others on the bus who had witnessed it chimed in, and the driver relented. On the ride, the entire bus became invested in their "relationship" and ensured they exchanged numbers at the end. 😁 It's seriously a meet-cute out of a Hallmark Christmas movie, including the fact that they took it very slow at first since they live 1.5 hours apart, but just before Christmas last year, they became "official." And I wouldn't be sharing this story if he hadn't turned out to be exactly what every parent dreams of for their daughter in ways I can't even describe because it's not my story to tell.
Moral of the story: Get out there in life, and *definitely* talk to strangers!! (In a safe environment, of course. A packed airport shuttle line is pretty safe.)
I still go to the store for my groceries, and I talk to people all the time. I start conversations with perfect strangers just about every where I go! Sometimes I do it to cheer myself up, sometimes to cheer up the other person if it looks like they need it. One time in the supermarket I asked an older lady if she was having a good day and she told me she couldn't reach a few of the things she needed and was waiting for an employee to walk by. I found someone to help, then I walked around the store with her while she got what she needed. :)