To get to my office, I have to ride an escalator every day to the third floor, which is the main lobby.

Today, there was a sign on the descending escalator:

The riddle here? What do you call an escalator that is turned off?

Answer: Stairs.

I’m not sure why they wouldn’t just let people walk down this escalator if they wanted. Except that I do know why.

Because as a society, we’ve evolved to the point where there has to be rules and regulations for everything to prevent anyone from suing companies with money. It’s unfortunate because common sense (now probably better known as “uncommon sense”) is clearly taking a back seat to legal department corporate shields.

And so, because of the tiny chance of a catastrophic injury, we’ll all stand in line to take the elevators to the first floor.

Sure, it’s a small example and an even tinier inconvenience. But these example exist all over society, and I’m afraid it’s not making us more independent or smarter.