There was a time when life seemed full of adventure, unpredictability and the unknown, especially when you were about to get on a plane. Now, as I stand in front of an airport vending machine filled with necessities, conveniences and standardized solutions to human needs, I find myself struck by how perfectly it encapsulates the suffocating predictability of modern life. This vending machine, stocked with everything from pain relievers to razors, from skin care to condoms, is a miniature reflection of society’s finely tuned expectations of human needs. It is the distilled essence of modernity, a curated collection of the products that cover 95 percent of life’s predictable demands.

Take a look at the selection in this vending machine. The top row is dedicated to grooming — shampoos, conditioners, face washes and moisturizers. Next, there are over-the-counter medications, allergy relief, anti-diarrheal pills, pain relievers and cold medicine. There are oral hygiene products, contraceptives, feminine hygiene essentials and COVID-19 test kits. What more, realistically, does a person living in a modern, industrialized country need in day-to-day life that isn’t already accounted for here?

The sheer predictability of it all is humbling. If one were to take a random sampling of people from any urbanized part of the world and analyze their basic needs, there........

© The Korea Times