The Remote Control

The Remote Control

I was sitting comfortably on the couch, watching something I wasn’t particularly interested in.

Actually, I had stopped paying attention about twenty minutes earlier.

The remote control was on the coffee table.

Not far away. Just far enough that I would have to get up to reach it.

So I kept watching.

Five minutes passed.

Then ten.

I considered getting up, but I was comfortable. Besides, someone would probably walk through the living room eventually.

And someone did.

“Hey, could you pass me the remote?”

Problem solved.

I changed the channel and finally found something worth watching.

It had taken me about three seconds.

Of course, I had spent nearly half an hour waiting for those three seconds.

And the funny thing is, I felt rather clever for not having to get up.

I wonder how often we do the same thing elsewhere.

We tolerate something that doesn’t work particularly well, even when changing it would require very little effort.

Instead, we wait for someone else to make the change easier.

Sometimes, we even congratulate ourselves for being patient.

Perhaps the problem isn’t that change is difficult. Sometimes, we’re just too comfortable waiting for someone else to reach the remote.