The Abundance Trap
A hand turning a large dial labelled friction from high toward low

Everything is getting easier.

Almost no one is asking what the hard part was doing for us.

Progress has one move: find friction and remove it.

A long stretch of road disappearing into a distant horizon
Distance
A waiting room scene about time and delay
Waiting
An image representing the cost of something becoming lower
Cost
An image representing access opening to opportunity
Access

More food. More medicine. More information. More choice. We lower costs, shorten waits, make distance matter less, and widen access. A lot of that is genuinely good. The trouble starts when we treat every kind of friction as the same thing.

Two people dwarfed by a massive, unbroken concrete wall

Some friction is awall.

  • It keeps people out.
  • It wastes time.
  • It creates inequality.
  • It protects what shouldn’t be protected.

Tear it down.

A climber reaching for the next hold while another person watches

Some friction is aworkout.

  • It builds skill.
  • It develops character.
  • It creates depth.
  • It helps us handle what’s real.

Handle with care.

When we make something effortless, both kinds of friction disappear together.

We meant to remove the wall. The workout went with it. And we didn’t notice until the strength was gone.

You’ve already felt the difference.

A graphite illustration of a child learning with an AI tutor on a laptop

An AI tutor for a kid who never had one.

A barrier to learning comes down. Almost pure gain.

Infinite scrolling that never lets you stop.

The feed feels effortless. Depth gets harder to find.

A graphite illustration of an endless pink feed flowing from a phone
A graphite illustration of a listener facing an endless field of albums

Every song ever recorded, on demand.

Every song is there. But getting attached to one feels different.

An AI companion that always agrees.

No conflict. No edge. Comfort on demand. What that costs is still unclear.

A graphite illustration of a person speaking with a glowing voice companion

This is a book for people deciding what should become easier.

  • People who build and grow products, deciding which obstacles should disappear and which human abilities their tools may quietly replace.
  • Parents and teachers, deciding which struggles still help children grow when answers, entertainment, and completed work can appear on demand.
  • Anyone who has noticed that easier can feel good while still leaving something diminished, and wants better language for why.

This isn't a case for worse tools or pointless hardships. It's a way to ask what the hard part was doing before you remove it.

The Abundance Trap book cover
Coming Spring 2027.

A clearer look at what disappeared when life got easier, and what to do next.

Explore the book
Browse all essays
A graphite illustration of a VHS cassette with a yellow rental stickerThe Death of Friday Night VideosNetflix is better. So why did choosing feel more real before?A graphite illustration of a person reclined inside an oversized hover chairWALL-E Wasn’t About RobotsThe future wasn’t a robot uprising. It was a chair no one had to leave.A graphite illustration of a mechanical hand delivering an enormous stack of pagesThe Champions of AbundanceThe people removing friction were formed by the friction they now remove.

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I'll send the next essay when it's worth sending.

A short note when something new is published, plus the questions and examples I'm exploring as the book takes shape.