26 The luxuries and conveniences of contemporary life prevent people from developing into truly strong and independent individuals

Due to the advancement of technology, people’s lives became more convenient. However, there is still debate going on whether comfortable lives disturb people’s development. The author states that the luxuries and convenience of contemporary life prevent people from developing into truly strong and independent individuals. However, the following essay will argue that this may not always be the case.

Admittedly, the author’s assertion that might hold true under certain circumstances because the advanced technologies sometimes interrupt people’s mental and physical growth. For example, with the advent of smartphone, people do not need to memorize phone numbers, learn how to navigate direction by seeing geographical map, and calculate numbers by themselves. Smartphones has been replaced every tasks above. Thus, people no longer use their mental capacity as much as they did in previous days, which eventually diminish people’s intellectual abilities. In the future, people would be able to solve a small problem with their mental competence and become more and more dependent on the technological devices. Besides the decrease in the mental capacity, the luxuries and conveniences of contemporary life hampers physical prowess. These days elevators, escalators, and motorized vehicles transport people from one place to other. The amount of people’s physical activity has been reduced significantly. People need to spend extra money on fitness membership and workout classes to maintain their health. Accordingly, based on the above examples, the author’s claim seems plausible to some degree.

However, the author’s assertion that luxurious and convenient products prevent people from developing independence may not be always prudent because the luxuries and conveniences are helpful in achieving people’s independence. For example, smartphone and tablet PC enable people to learn anything at any place regardless their environmental situations. In the past time, the only place students can learn was limited to where teachers, books, and learning materials available, such as schools and libraries. However, without assistant of schoolteachers, students can expand their learning by watching Youtube, attending online classes, and reading E-books. Thus, there is no limit in learning, which expand people’s knowledge in multiple areas. In addition, with rising new technologies in medical field, artificial joints and prosthetic body parts were developed; thus, many people with physical disabilities regained their physical independence. As seen in this example, it is somewhat credible to state that newly developed tools and inventions does not necessarily preclude people’ abilities to become strong and independent individual.

In addition, a disagreeing stance seems more favorable considering the potential merit associated with increased living standard. In general, emerging adults from low-resourced settings have difficulty to be independent from their families and establish separate household because of the financial difficulty. However, in more affluent countries, Western people are more easily move out – often after graduating high school before getting married. As they become the head of their households, they become more self—sufficient and responsible. In a similar line of thought, people with more financial resources can have better opportunities to educate themselves, which equip them with more skills and mindset that are suited for inventive challenges. Hence, it is plausible to disagree that assistance of modern convenience would impede people’s chances of being strong and dependent.

In conclusion, although we heavily depend on modern technologies but the reliance on the technologies further develops our autonomy and provides with efficiency. Without the technologies, people could not achieve today’s intellectual, social, and political growth.