Vacuum pioneer James Dyson has just announced his intent to create an affordable robot to take care of your home needs — and is already working with an over $8 million investment toward doing so. With technology rapidly advancing in every nook of the field, it's no surprise that humans' unwanted tasks are being outsourced to machines, but at what cost?
Karen Kingston, often touted as the leading expert on Feng Shui’s use in Western cultures, has published several books on the meaningfulness of conscious cleaning; in other words, many of us draw incredible gratification from the maintenance of our space, and often those who do not simply need to approach their duties from a more mindful perspective.
The psychology behind the argument in support of cleaning up the mess you make, both literally and metaphorically, is vast and credible. What happens if we remove ourselves from this basic responsibility? We only need look to the invention of dishwashers, refrigerators, washing machines and other household appliances to see the incredible impact technology has had on our society simply by freeing up women (traditionally assigned these jobs) to spend their time in other ways. Would obliterating household chores have a similarly positive outcome, or would we become sucked into a vortex of laziness?
Time will tell what’s next for our dirty laundry, but one thing’s for sure — we’re perfectly happy to let James Dyson take out the trash any time he’d like to stop over.
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