Modern society conceals effort. Its vital structures – agriculture, freight transport, energy production, city planning – are invisible to us. Its interfaces – malls, shops, call centers, websites – dispense goods and services like wrapped candies.
That’s not to say we’re all comfortable in modern society. Some can’t afford the goods and services they need. Some groups are unfavored by the vital structures. Still, how often do we spare a thought for the farmers and bakers behind our sliced bread? The plant operators who filter our drinking water? The pharmacologists who develop and test our meds?
Very rarely. Instead, we think about our jobs, and when we don’t, our aching joints and mounting cortisol remind us. Our jobs are our lives, always prodding us, draining us, and driving us mad. Modern society conceals all effort from us, except our own.
A society wired this way teaches its citizens to resent it. We complain much more than we praise. We vote with indignation, not responsibility. When we struggle in life – which we assuredly do – we forget the struggles we don’t face, those which society spares us. And if we succeed in life, we underestimate the help we had – the million workers that pave and sweep the road to riches.
This design flaw doesn’t just produce grumpy citizens; it blocks progress. We won’t improve society if we don’t value it. I can’t in good conscience urge everyone to love modern society, but it’s never a bad idea to stop and appreciate its invisible labor.