Life is Physically Easier Than It Used to Be

In most of the world, at least. But is that always a good thing?

In surfing the internet (do people still say “surfing the internet” anymore?) I ran across a meme that really resonated with me:

I don’t know that I would have used “soul” — maybe “well-being.” Likewise, I think I would have used something like “rejuvenating” or “renewing” rather than “comfortable.”

But that is nit-picking. Regardless of the exact words used, the sentiment really rings true, doesn’t it?

I will never forget what my grandfather said to me: “Our life was tiring for the body but comfortable for the soul. Your life today is comfortable for the body, but it is tiring for the soul.”

Clearly life used to be more tiring for the body for most people than it is today. Centuries ago everything was done by hand – farming, constructing buildings, making clothes, cleaning things up, etc. Even 100 years ago, more jobs involved physical labor than do the vast majority of today’s jobs. And not just at work, but also in our homes. Machines have replaced a lot of labor, and technology has replaced even more. (If the “experts” are to be believed, Artificial Intelligence (AI) will soon also do all the thinking for us. What will we do then?)

All the innovations have made life physically easier for more and more people. That has got to be a contributor to people living longer (along with medical advancements and better nutrition). We are so much wealthier than even our grandparents were, with larger homes, more cars, televisions and computers and tablets and delivered food and so on.

But …. are we happier?

Obviously that can be a very personal determination, and even for one person can change over time. But generally speaking, are we happier?

Hard to look around today and say that we are. All the turmoil on display would seem to indicate turmoil in our cultural “soul” and watching it all really is tiring. Would all that turmoil be happening if people were more physically tired each day? I think not.

Mind you, I don’t think the change from hard physical work to much less physical work is “the” cause of our tired cultural soul. I think the main cause is people turning away from God. But I do think not having to work hard physically and generally being wealthier than past generations does leave us wanting for something more.

Doing physical work and accomplishing something can be very satisfying. I don’t do much physical work, but I do enjoy gardening and seeing the plants I planted bloom. That is very satisfying. (In contrast, while cleaning the house is physical work, it is never all that satisfying because it won’t be long before I have to do it again. Bleh.) My recently-retired brother just built a little “house/office” on the other end of their property, and it looks great (and he is rightfully proud of it). Friends have remodeled their bathrooms themselves, and not only saved money doing it but enjoyed the work. And so on.

I know some people really enjoy exercising — get that endorphin hit And that’s great, glad for them that they enjoy it, but it’s not the same things as work that produces something else. There really is something rejuvenating about physical work and creating something.

Well, I’ve wandered around a bit on this one. Looping back to the beginning — I think the meme poster’s grandfather was right. Back then life was tiring for the body, but comfortable for the soul. Today, our lives are pretty comfortable physically, but it does seem to be more and more tiring for the soul.

Despite that kind of gloomy ending, I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Audra

Proverbs 12:11 A person who works his land will have enough food, but whoever pursues fantasies lacks sense.