Most organisations which deal with the public have altered their systems to make them 'consumer friendly' and yet ... and yet ...
Firstly, we have paid a terrible price for all of this opulence. Almost all of these 'advances' have a 'downside'; they act as a two-edged sword which we tend so easily not to recognise.
We have lost so much. We are an arrogant people now; we believe in man ahead of God and need to use a misdirected political correctness to get people to act with any degree of propriety at all - it cannot work.
We are beset by crime, overcrowding,'summat for nowt' philosophies and we possess a belief that the universe revolves around us.
Our society is decadent, introverted and increasingly undemocratic. Whatever happened to simple decency? It is disappearing at a frightening rate. We have foolishly allowed the political class to have increasing powers over the direction of our lives.
Secondly - I wonder if the whole illusion may be revealed as just that. Is the bubble about to burst? - Certainly, we have never been closer to that point!