Story by Ella Apisakkul
Staff Writer

Illustration by Zoie Wong
Staff Illustrator

In the modern world, everything can be done in the snap of a finger. From short-form content to food delivery apps, countless processes of our daily lives are being streamlined to oblivion. The world has confused faster things with better things, ruining our ability to slow down, appreciate the natural world, and channel that into the things we create. When we abandon nature for personal efficiency, we forget the beauty of putting time and effort into something and watching it pay off, and by extension the beauty of life. 

Your electronic device can do everything for you. If you are a student, then plugging your equation, writing prompt, or inquiry into a search engine will bring up an answer within seconds. If you have to shop, you can find what you need online through Amazon, which will nicely deliver it to your doorstep. Cooking is solved with meal kits sent in packages that only need a few steps to prepare. And entertainment is always ready through a streaming service of your choice or, even better, a social media platform ready to spew short-form content at you endlessly. Companies are on a mission to make all of your daily motions convenient, which is pleasing in theory, but is easily pushed too far. 

When our every action is done by a device, we lose the ability to think meaningfully. Though apps and machines haven’t taken over our lives quite yet, we can already see a similar mental deterioration happening through the consumption of short-form content on social media. 

Short-form content comes in an endless loop through scrolling, giving the brain repeated hits of dopamine, the mental chemical spreading feelings of pleasure. As social media tracks what you watch and serves you more of the content you enjoy, you begin to feel unsatisfied with dopamine that isn’t served in constant amounts, making the world outside of the screen boring. We lose the will to think meaningfully because our minds are consistently preoccupied with the blue light. 

Every individual is home to countless ideas with the potential to make an impact. Our differing worldviews and experiences make the world more interesting when we are willing to connect with each other and combine them to create new things. By confining ourselves to a screen, we shut ourselves off from others, losing the chance to make memories, learn new things and, most importantly, to connect with the natural world. 

Humans existed long before the internet had, and, during that time, allowed ourselves to experience the natural world and its beauty. Nature has always been our muse– many classic art pieces, such as Starry Night, The Great Wave off Kanagawa, or The Thinker, depict nature or other human beings, proving that we have always been drawn to these topics. 

Yet many efficiency-focused companies, whose CEOs are too wrapped up in greed to see art as more than a status symbol, destroy the environment to reap materials for products. These include the superpowers of Amazon and Tesla– Amazon has sourced paper pulp from a supplier involved in the deforestation of a primary forest, while Tesla has cut down about 500,000 trees at one of their factories, posing a threat to forests and drinking water sources. 

Those promoting technology expansion could argue that it would never consume our livelihoods. As it is now, it only cuts out mundane tasks that require little thought, leaving room for us to chase after artistic pursuits. They confuse easier for better, as they want a world where every small need is provided for in order to pursue eternal happiness. 

Those investing in the promises that these technologies offer must remember that we cannot let even these mundane tasks go. After these small tasks are completed for us, these technologies won’t stop, promising to swallow up every obligation until there is nothing left for us to do. When humans see that something is successful, all that drives them is chasing more of that success, not unlike when we go down rabbit holes scrolling for more dopamine. The question can only be posed then of what we will become, and it is hard to believe that we will thrive, becoming shells of ourselves that rely on technology for survival. 

As of 2026, according to the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, poor mental health rates have increased, led by a 24% rise in major depressive disorder and a 47% rise in anxiety disorders globally since 2019. As of 2024, more than 1 in 5 U.S. adults experience mental illness yearly, with 1 in 20 experiencing serious mental illness and 1 in 7 U.S. youth from ages 6-17 experiencing mental health disorders. In a time where these conditions are on the rise, we must realize that it is crucial to engage with the natural world and our artistic selves. 

Humans are creative creatures. From cave paintings to the art of the Renaissance to today’s photographs and sculptures, we have always sought to express ourselves. We have always been making art, and we have always derived inspiration from the nature surrounding us. 

When the world is filled with stressors and technologies that want to live for us, society must refuse. We must be reminded of how beautiful life can be when we pay attention to what seems insignificant, and why life is worth living. 

Yet to connect with the earth, we have to start by saving it instead of hurting it. Even though we can’t reverse deforestation and climate change overnight, we can take small steps to care for and appreciate the world around us that we may have ignored. 

When we slow down, we find humanity within those moments. Instead of having a device do what we deem ourselves too busy for, we can experiment with ingredients to cook a warm meal, reach out to a friend with a question, or spend time at a store selecting the perfect gift for the person you love. Every essay riddled with red marks, every conversation littered with stutters, and every smudged line of a drawing show proof of our humanity, that we are learning and growing, and would only be discarded as a mistake if put through technology.

The journey may be messy and long, but perfection should never be our goal. It should be creativity, and we achieve that with every human mistake. Even small processes of life were never meant to go faster, because once they do, we lose ourselves in the blur.