Convenience vs. Rituals

A tweet by Scott Belksy sparked my curiosity a few weeks ago:

in this everything-as-a-service frictionless-seeking world, consider the tension between CONVENIENCE and RITUAL. For example, subscription coffee startups vs. the escape and pleasure of going out for coffee, smelling the brew, entering a new environment.

— scott belsky (@scottbelsky) June 25, 2020

In the age of ‘now’, we crave the immediate satisfaction of things coming fast. And millions of $$ have flowed into businesses that serve this need — and only accelerated from this pandemic.

But this struck a chord: sometimes a good amount of ‘friction’ is good. Especially in-person experiences that shake things up in our brain.

Personally, a ritual I enjoy is having a long dinner with friends at a restaurant. Nothing beats the atmosphere: the live music (sometimes), the chatter, the table arrangement.

I am thankful for how much convenience comes to my doorstep, but this made me aware of how much I enjoy things that aren’t so easy to get.