Many moons ago as children we would tune in to the Flintstones running around in their foot driven stone cars living in stone houses. And then the Jetsons would come on zooming around in flying cars, with robot maids, microwave ovens, and cities on spaceships. We were not that far from the past Pebbles and Bam Bam, and pretty near the futuristic family. Those in my generation had parents and grandparents who had used outhouses and horse drawn buggies. And we would soon share life with younger generations assisted by a multitude of modern technology.
In today's world every time one turns around, they are speaking to an auto generated voice, a computer, an AI informational source, or a digital operator. Small round discs maneuver across our floors sucking up dust and debris from our shoes. Smart houses can basically be run from our cell phones while we are states away.
These new household inventions have taken a great deal of work out of the hands of once housewives having to scrub soapy clothes against a washboard with hot water in the backyard. And what a great time for this so both men and women can join the workforce. Few households can run off only one income in today's economy. So, the dishwasher gets the dishes, the washer and dryer the laundry, the Rumba the floors, while we zoom around in our soon to be cars that drive themselves, a book being read out loud to us, occasionally touching a button on the steering wheel for all messages on our phones to be read out loud, and a navigation system occasionally interrupting to let us know to stay in the second to the left lane.
In fact, as each day passes, less and less jobs are needed by a human brain, human hands, or a human voice. And now there is a manmade robot built like a brick house with not an ounce of fat on her who can vacuum, sweep, answer all communication systems while also watering our plants. This all wreaks of noise and movement that have no human aspect to it whatsoever. And if in this lonely world of "bots" you feel you need some added company precious little robot puppies can be bought that do not eat or poop.
May I stop for one moment and ask a simple question in all this new age- make life easier- manufactured-world. Where is the mess?
I'm talking about the wife who is nagging while she is sweeping the floor and loading the dishwasher. The dog who peed on the bathroom rug because somebody forgot to put out a pee pad overnight. The person on the other end of what we once called the line laughing with us about the frustration setting up our printer. The husband who is griping about the ridiculous number of new plants the wife bought because he is now having to drag around the sprinkler - That Mess - That human component to our world that spills the milk we won't cry over, that burned the dinner, defleaed the dog that peed on the bathroom rug, and had to re-run the washer because she left the wet clothes in overnight.
The messy awkward stumbling daily steps of being human interacting with other humans. There is a sterile, cold, non-dimensional feel to the days coming. What is the tradeoff to life becoming easier?
Pass me the burnt toast while I sigh about the drooping ferns I forgot to water. Life is messy because it is just that…life. And life is for the living.
