In all honesty, the ideal of having a robot that could do every single chore around the house, such as cooking, cleaning, and even helping with the one that sounds too good to be true and at the same time tempting, especially on those days when life feels like a never-ending list of to-dos, would be awesome. Coming home knowing full well that you don't have to stress yourself with anything and yet you'll meet your floor sparkling, a good meal, and the kids already catered for, In my opinion, that sounds like the next level of comfort; however, despite how tempting this sounds, I must say that I find myself torn about it, and I'll tell you why below.
Why I said I'm torn is because, on one hand, I feel like saying yes, because having such a robot would literally free up so much time for me, and such time could be invested in spending quality time with loved ones or doing things I love doing, such as writing, playing games, resting, researching, or just doing absolutely nothing, despite living in a fast-paced world like ours where it's quite difficult to have time to catch our breath, so that's why it's quite easy for me to say yes to such robots, because they'll lighten the loads of responsibility I used to do on my own.
On the other hand, despite how great it sounds, I still can't help but reflect on its possible downsides, such as asking myself if having such convenience would not make me lazier than I am presently or even make me more disconnected from my responsibilities and relationships as a human and parent. As odd as it may sound, I must say that chores have something grounding about doing them. Take, for instance, cooking for your family or attending to your kids. These are some of the activities that, although tiring, still go on to keep us involved, present, and connected to not just our environment but everyone around us.
I can't help but notice that aside from what I stated above, another concern is the issue of dependency. I mean, take for instance if we have such robots and get used to having them perform all the tasks for years without us lifting a finger, what happens if they malfunction? Won't we have lost some basic life skills because we no longer do or use them? I remember back in the day when I had phone numbers of over ten people off the top of my head. Fast forward to the present day, many of us don't find that worthwhile anymore because our smartphones store them for us. The bigger question is what will happen when we start outsourcing every little part of our daily lives?
Hopefully you don't get me wrong because I already said having such robots would be awesome; however, considering all the downsides I highlighted above, I guess my preferable option would be striking a balance, meaning that I don't mind having such robots that help me out, especially when it involves heavy lifting, deep cleaning, or just lending a hand when I'm overwhelmed, but then, I'd still want to be involved in most things around us, especially in areas of raising and tending to my kids. In my opinion, there are some things that shouldn't be replaced no matter what, and one of such is regarding the kids. The robot can help with their complex assignments, but when it comes to other aspects, I'll take charge.
Overall, all I'm saying is that yes, I'll get such a robot, but what I wouldn't do is let it replace the human part of me that finds meaning in the little things of life that connect me with those around me and my environment.
All photos are taken and edited on canva.
Posted Using INLEO
