To save the time or not?

I generally have a few books on the go at one time that include at least one (loosely) theological book (morning reading), one other non-fiction book (afternoon reading) and one fiction book (evening reading). Apart from having the right kind of reading for every time of day this also allows the books to more easily “talk to each other.“

I’m currently reading “Wandering with Intent” by Kim Mahood. She has spent many years working in remote Aboriginal communities and recounts how after spending an afternoon searching and digging for yams a visitor asked why they didn’t cultivate the plants near the community. Her answer was “Because that would take all the fun out of it.” She continues on to explain, summing up:

That would take all the fun out of it’ translates as: the efficiency achieved by cultivating the plants closer to the community would be countered by the loss of social and cultural sharing, the settling and clearing of the mind, the reinvigoration of the psyche that wandering with intent provides.

Kim Mahood, Wandering With Intent, p82.

This reminded me of Wendell Berry’s writing about housekeeping.

Thus housewifery, once a complex discipline acknowledged to be one of the bases of culture and economy, was reduced to the exercise of purchasing power … As woman’s work became simpler and easier, it also became more boring. A women’s work became less accomplished and less satisfying. It became easier for her to believe that what she did was not important.

Wendel Berry, The Art of the Commonplace: The Agrarian Essays of Wendell Berry, p.110

The Cambridge dictionary describes efficiency as the quality of achieving the largest amount of useful work using as little energy, fuel, effort etc. as possible. It seems it would be a no-brainer that being more efficient would always be more desirable. And often it is. I’m going to go out on a limb and say that a young girl being able to go to school because she no longer needs to cart water all day is objectively good. I must say I do prefer to get out the food processor if I’ve got a large amount of grating to do, but maybe that task wouldn’t be so onerous if my arm muscles were conditioned by regular grating sessions.

I guess it all turns on what you mean by “useful work.” While it’s easy to measure a reduction in time or effort spent by us, it’s harder to account for the intangible benefits that often piggyback onto the slow road. The true costs of our convenience and comfort are often hidden. It can be hard to resist the push towards the latest time/effort-saving gadget, service or technique, but maybe it’s worth taking the time to pause and consider what will be lost and is the gain worth it in the end. Is the time I save going to lead me towards a more meaningful, more human life?

I joke with the kids that making my own flatbread that first time ruined me for supermarket tortillas and wraps. I still have to periodically relearn this lesson, but that first taste of the cardboard-like wrapping of my lovingly made fillings always sees me vowing to avoid them like the plague in future… better to change the menu plan than subject myself to that. The crazy thing is that the recipe I use hardly takes any time to make and if my younger daughter is around I roll, while she cooks. Your mileage may vary regarding supermarket tortillas, but I’m sure there’s probably at least one thing that is worth the extra hassle to you. The trick, I guess is deciding what is worth spending our precious time on.

Tell me about the thing you’ve decided is worth the time and effort when you could just as easily buy it or get someone else to do it for you.