WHEN CONVENIENCE WEAKENS US

The other day, I was sharing a memory with my brother’s son, who is currently in class 6. I told him that when I was his age, back in 1986, I used to ride a bicycle to school every day. He looked at me with wide-eyed surprise and said, “Really, Bada Papa?”

His reaction struck me. What was completely normal for us back then now seems extraordinary to a child of this generation.

Back in our time, bicycles were not a luxury—they were the default. Walking or cycling to school was the norm. Only a rare few, the so-called wealthiest, arrived in cars. Our schools were typically just 3 to 4 kilometers from home, nestled in our neighborhoods.

But today, things have drastically changed. Schools are often located 15, 20, even 50 kilometers away. Cars and buses have become the standard. Roads are unsafe, congested, and largely unfriendly to cyclists. Bicycles, once a tool of purpose, are now reduced to being playthings—if they’re used at all.

This shift made me think more deeply: was this merely a natural evolution of society, or was there a strategy behind it?

In my view, this might not be as accidental as it seems. There could be an industrial design behind this transformation. If children grow up accustomed to cars and technology-fueled convenience, those habits become second nature. What begins as a simple way to get to school becomes a lifelong dependency. A young consumer is born—not just of vehicles, but of everything tied to convenience.

This is how industries build future customers: by planting habits early, making comfort seem like necessity.

But it goes far beyond transportation.

Children today are surrounded by conveniences: screen-based entertainment, instant information, automated assistance, home deliveries, voice-activated devices. These innovations, while helpful, are also conditioning them to become passive receivers rather than active creators.

We're raising a generation that might be more connected digitally but is growing increasingly disconnected from resilience, resourcefulness, and self-reliance.

It’s a wake-up call—not just for parents, but for all of us. What are we normalising for the next generation? Are we empowering them to think, move, and create? Or are we quietly turning them into consumers of comfort and followers of trends?

Let’s not confuse progress with dependency. Let’s reflect on the seeds we are sowing in young minds. Because those seeds will shape the future—of individuals, of families, and of society.

Let’s choose wisely.