Hypothesis: Technology affects our consumption habits by placing higher value on short-term gratification and reducing our need to question existing production processes. This causes us to put more importance in fulfilling our own needs in the present than the needs of future generations and be ignorant of our food source.

In this day and age, technology is the game changer in any industry that employs its powers. Wearables (e.g: Fitbit, Misfit, iWatch, etc.) track our heart rates, step count and calories burned, which provide health insurers and medical practitioners with data to monitor their clients' health. Virtual Reality (VR) and 360 technology is changing the way we watch videos, play games and even house shopping. These examples are just a few of the many positive aspects of leveraging technology to improve our quality of life. I am a strong proponent for technology but I also realize that there are certain negative aspects of technology that we are mostly unaware of, which I am going to describe here in hopes that we become cognizant of how technology has shaped our habits into becoming more selfish and ignorant.

Brick and mortar (B&M) retailers are experiencing declining sales as online stores provide customers the convenience of shopping in the comforts of their own homes (maybe even while in their pajamas, lying in bed, on their mobile device, while faint dialogue from a Netflix movie is playing in the background) and have the products shipped to them by the next day at low or no cost. Technology has transformed the world by increasing the speed of transactions, making it stupendously easier to purchase goods today compared to 10 years ago. We have progressed from paying with credit cards to mobile payments with a scan of your fingerprint on your mobile device. On the surface, the increase in transaction speed tricks us into thinking that this speed benefits the world as a whole because it encourages consumption, which gives the economy a boost and reduces unemployment. However, if we reflect upon how this advancement in technology has changed our habits and behaviors, we will discover that a more serious problem lurks.

"Speed never killed anyone, suddenly becoming stationary, that's what gets you." - Jeremy Clarkson, former TopGear tv host.

As we grow accustomed to this life in the fast lane, it becomes increasingly difficult and painful to slow down. Think about the last time your internet connection became slow and spotty. Did you get angry and impatient? I know I did. This speed that we are used to is making us more demanding, impatient, and selfish. Most of us are aware of genetically modified organisms (GMO) and the stories around it, in particular one of the largest corporations controlling America's food chain, Monsanto. Proponents of GMO claim that this advancement in biotechnology is one way for us to provide enough food and escape the Malthusian trap.without having to have less sex and kill anyone. It is difficult to argue that GMO seeds do not increase yield; when was the last time a grocery store had a shortage of produce for sale? When was the last time a developed nation like the United States had to ration out food? (Answer: 1942, during World War 2, the United States government imposed a rationing of meat and butter). We may very well be on track to sustaining the world's population given the amount of food we can grow and harvest.

All this abundance of food makes us take our food for granted and causes us to be increasingly ignorant. We no longer question how and where our food are produced because to question is to slow down to think, and slowing down is painful when we are used to fulfilling our wants and needs right here and now. When was the last time you took the time to read the ingredients list and nutrition information on a packaged product? When was the last time you made your purchasing decision based on your own awareness of what you are going to put into your body instead of the price, brand, and packaging of the product? These questions are worth slowing down for because each of us have to start taking ownership of our own health and the world around us.

"Those who have the privilege to know have the duty to act." - Albert Einstein

I decided to go vegan after learning, in an environmental economics class at my alma mater, Soka University of America, about the depleting water resources that the world is facing (I encourage you to watch this documentary to learn more). Before becoming a vegan, I have always grown up eating meat and never question how that slab of steak ended up on my plate. It was through this class that I learned about the unsustainable practices that we are employing to produce our food and other products, especially beef. The class also made me reflect on my ignorance and taught me to think critically of my own consumption (for all those wondering, these are what a liberal arts education teaches you: self-awareness & critical thinking skills). I have never come into contact with a cow all my life, so it was difficult to have an emotional connection to them. I became vegan because I was willing and had the duty to sacrifice my little "indulgence" for the future of the world.

Ever since I started my journey of being a vegan on November 2015, I have had the privilege to share my experience with my friends and encourage them to give the vegan diet a try. They were all gracious in entertaining my proposal but most kindly declined with the number one excuse: "I cannot give up eating meat/cheese/eggs." I totally understand where they are coming from. We are, after all, creatures of habit. It is indeed difficult to shake off the habit of eating something that we have been fed to since young, but what I am getting at with this post is not to quit the habit of eating meat/cheese/eggs. Our consumption habits is just the tip of this sinking iceberg and merely a symptom of a larger problem. What I am encouraging you, the reader, to give up is the habit of accepting things as they are and the habit of fulfilling your own needs and wants without considering the consequences on the world and future generations. For us to truly advance as a society, we need to liberate ourselves from the ignorance and selfishness that technology has imposed on us.

"The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing" - Albert Einstein

This post is by no means an attack on anyone or a support that vegans stand on a higher moral ground. It is a sharing of my personal experience of going vegan and a reflection on my discussions with family and friends. I have had the privilege to take that one class and learn about the impact of our consumption habits and with that knowledge I am empowered to do whatever I can to stop hurting this beautiful planet. Until we can all wake up from our ignorance and break free of our chains of selfishness, the world is going to become a more dangerous place as resources become scarcer and systems of oppression rule society. We all have a responsibility for ourselves, the global society, and the environment.

Perhaps the first step you can take today is to start questioning where your food comes from and how it is produced/farmed. Slow down and take time to connect with the people who produce your food to learn about the whole production process. If you are not happy with what you find then maybe consider going vegan and shop locally at your farmer's market.

Thank you for taking the time to read this and I appreciate any comments that you have.

Min Xiang Lee

I am taking my commitment for a more sustainable future to the next level by starting a vegan food service and delivery startup which will begin taking orders in January 2017. More updates on that in future posts!