about efficiency

Is efficiency always a good thing?

I met up with some old schoolmates not too long ago. As usual, we had lunch and hung out. On two different occasions, two of them made an observation and followed up by remarking that it was an inefficiency. It was a familiar refrain I've heard over the years. Many of my friends are prone to use that same pitch to justify their criticisms.

I must admit that a lot of my friends hail from very similar educational backgrounds. We went to the same few secondary schools, junior colleges and graduated from universities. Most of us did science or engineering in college, which may explain why we tend to put value elegance and efficiency in solutions to real world problems.

It may have to do with the general psyche of the population that has come to demand efficiency in every aspects of their lives. We live in a habitually fast-paced society that has little tolerance for buses that arrive at intervals of more than 15 minutes. We don't take very long breaks with undecided return date. If we do stop to smell the roses, we also make sure we check our watches regularly. We know the 'right' ages to get married and have kids. We are pressured by our families and we want to be on par with our peers. Being on a small island with limited land and resources, we strive to accomplish the most out of the 600-odd square kilometres we own. Efficiency is our mantra.

Yet, I'm still not sure if efficiency's a good thing in all cases. In most cases at least, when one gets more (or the same amount) done with less effort, he has more resources left over for other tasks.

Can inefficiency lead to any good? No, I'm not looking for examples of efficient ways to do harm. Rather, I'm wondering if there are situations that are the way they are in the name of efficiency, and not obvious that sacrificed efficiency can lead to greater good.

Well, just a thought.