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A good life is inconvenient. - by Israa Nasir

israanasir.substack.com · 2,554 words · saved by 1 readers

It now takes less than 30 seconds to get groceries delivered to your doorstep. No conversation, no walk, no weather. What once required community—running into your neighbor at the store, borrowing sugar, chatting with the clerk—is now entirely solo. Effortless. But in this seamlessness, something has quietly eroded. Connection. Interdependence. The small frictions that used to tether us to one another. Being in community is romantic in theory—but inconvenient in practice. It requires time, patience, and the willingness to experience discomfort. It asks you to show up even when it’s awkward. To talk through conflict instead of avoiding it. To not just “let them” walk all over your needs or your boundaries for the sake of harmony—but also, to not immediately cut people off the moment they disappoint you. This is the paradox of convenience: it promises more time, more ease, more freedom, but often delivers the opposite. The more we optimize, the more we isolate. The more frictionless our

Monthly Wellness Essay A good life is inconvenient. We need to escape the cult of convenience Israa Nasir Apr 07, 2025 6,212 79 1,658 Share It now takes less than 30 seconds to get groceries delivered to your doorstep. No conversation, no walk, no weather. What once required community, like running into your neighbor at the store, borrowing sugar, chatting with the clerk, is now entirely solo. Effortless. But in this seamlessness, something has quietly eroded. Connection. Interdependence. The small frictions that used to tether us to one another. Being in community is romantic in theory, but i

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