That 80mg oxy pill is a sad symbol of modern American life.<p>We idealize pills. We talk about a future where all food could be replaced with a pill. We attribute the starting gun of women&#x27;s liberation to... THE pill. So many pills have captured our imagination and our culture: viagra, valium, adderall, prozac, mothers little helpers, morning after pills To us medicine often means pills.<p>We live lives that are too busy with artificial constraints, without enough time connected to relationships and leisure and nature. We live accelerated lives and have no time to be unhealthy. A pill that you take home and take just once every twelve hours -- at the start of your work day and the end -- is the only kind of cure we have time for.<p>There is a reason Americans consume the vast majority of pills. Far far more than other rich countries.