Composition Essay

Q) “The accelerated pace of modern life detracts from our enjoyment of it.”

Does efficiency give way to improvement? We seem to think that the quicker something gets done, the more we have evolved as a society. There are many tools at our disposal to make our lives convenient; the smartphone, streaming services, Amazon, A.I programs. These inventions are indeed impressive. They are the result of years of human evolution and dedication. However, the direction our modern society is moving in is causing us to forget what really matters in life. Not the constant grind, but the beauty in taking our time.

Nowadays, it’s easy to keep in contact with friends and family. We can talk to them by just the click of a button, or send a message and get a response in a matter of a few seconds. This certainly quickens the communication process, but is it really improvement?

Historically, maintaining close connections required more effort and intention. Today, even in face-to-face interactions, people often turn to their phones- reflecting our dependence on them. According to Common Sense Media, teenagers on average pick up their phones a total of 51 times per day. Phones, often praised for speeding up processes, may actually be more time-wasting than we realise.

Social media has rapidly evolved with smartphones too, with over 5.07 active users. Platforms like Tiktok, Instagram and X offer quick entertainment, but they are too fast to keep up with. Once you have caught up on the latest trend, a new one comes around. We constantly crave something new. This insatiable boredom has only grown worse with apps like Tiktok- which promote short videos. According to studies, over the past 20 years, the average human attention span has dropped from 2 and a half minutes down to 45 seconds. This is due to the constant bombardment of information that we receive on a daily basis through apps like Tiktok and Instagram.

Another, more recent development which has sped up processes is A.I. While A.I has been around for a long time, it is only recently that it has become more available to the everyday person. A.I plays a critical role in our world today. It’s used in hospitals, to moderate social media to filter inappropriate content, and in science labs and factories which help provide everyday essentials.

However, due to the ease of access of A.I to the public, it’s led to misuse. Many students use it to cheat on tests, or to do assignments for them. Others use A.I art programs to create A.I art, which models it’s art off of real artists’ work without their permission. It can jeopardize the jobs of artists and writers as many companies will take the free alternative rather than pay them. There was even a case recently where a man was arrested for creating child abuse images with A.I and selling it. A.I can accelerate the pace of our modern lives, but at what cost?

Another aspect that has quickened the pace of our lives is mass production. If we want something from overseas, we can order it online. If we don’t like the prices of products, we can buy a knock-off at a cheaper price on sites like Shein or Aliexpress.

While convenient, these practices are unethical. They lead to product waste and promote overconsumption, encouraging us to buy more than needed. Today’s “throw-away society” promotes buying new items over mending broken ones, leading to the desire to constantly purchase. This also harms our planet severely. For instance, fast fashion produces over 92 million tons of waste annually. We might think we’re saving money and time by using these services, but we end up spending more of both.

In this modern age, we are constantly reminded how short the time we have is. We are encouraged to live fast, to constantly achieve, to constantly work. Many establishments, like the schooling system, promote a “grind mind-set”, where we are expected to keep improving no matter what it takes.

While it’s good to set goals for ourselves, it’s unrealistic to believe that this is a beneficial way of living. We all get tired. We all get burnt-out. We all get lazy- it’s just human nature. We are not machines on the assembly line, but living, breathing beings. We need to realise that taking things slow can allow us to be more in the present. As the famous quote goes: “Life moves pretty fast. You don’t look around once in a while, you could miss it.”

It’s important to savour the slower, more methodical practices in life. Without them, we wouldn’t have half the beauty of what makes us human - art, literature, composing, poetry. All of these are disciplines that can only truly be made through the slow and gradual building of our skills- and that, in itself, is beautiful.