There are some great benefits to having your parents live in St. Paul.

I’m able to stay connected with my family while still being able to do my own thing, but there’s one thing that contributes to a certain vice I have.

I’m a fast food junkie. Most of the time I’m able to stay away from the instant gratification of grease and future clogged arteries by at least refusing to go alone. There’s nothing quite like walking into the University Avenue McDonald’s and realizing that you’re just a younger version of the old men hanging out there with a crossword puzzle and dollar coffee.

Unfortunately, I have found a convenient loophole for my dilemma: my father.

Whenever I’m hankering for Taco Bell or a Quarter Pounder, I can give my dad a quick call to go grab some food and boom, instant gratification. I don’t think my fast food vice is so terrible; in a way it’s nice because it gives me some time with my dad. I figure that the unhealthy food and the healthy relationship balance out in the end.

Culturally, however, it seems like we’re heading more and more down the road of unhealthy and downright bizarre measures of instant gratification.

Last week, through the glory that is Facebook, I came across a website that made my faith in humanity buckle. In Madison, Wis. a business that proves we are all doomed to be slaves for gratification: the Snuggle House.

At The Snuggle House, you can pay to have someone cuddle with you. The rules dictate that the service must be completely non-sexual, and the business prides itself on the importance of “touch therapy.” I think this is a beautiful example of the deterioration of our culture due to succumbing to instant gratification more and more often.

Call me old fashioned, but I feel like paying for snuggling crosses a line. I’m not saying that it’s as morally wrong as prostitution, but it is an intimate act between two people. If the non-sexual “touch therapy” argument is to be made, my response is get a massage. Otherwise the attraction is purely taboo, and could probably be resolved with more cost effective “remedies.”

The overarching problem is the rationale that leads people to dole out $60 an hour for someone to spoon them. The conscious thought is, “Boy, I’m feeling lonely … better go drop some cash on snuggling,” rather than, “Maybe I should invest in a real, healthy relationship.”

The focus on instant gratification and quick fixes is rampant in our society. Nobody wants to face the bigger picture of their problems, whether that be loneliness or something else. From snuggling to politics, we want solutions and we want them now.

It’s ok to have some vices. Everyone has certain habits that make them happy, and sometimes those quick fixes can be beneficial. But look at the bigger picture for a long-term solution. Not only will you be happier, but you’ll have a greater understanding of yourself and the issue at hand. I’m hoping that things like the Snuggle House are just fads that will extinguish themselves in time. Until then, I’ll just stick to being a fast food junkie.

Alex Goering can be reached at goer8777@stthomas.edu.