Imagine a world where we could only sit down on the floor — a world without chairs. Chairs come in many different sizes and shapes. There is the traditional chair with four legs and a sturdy back with practical seating capabilities. Then there is a stool, which lacks sufficient back support but is compact and easily storable. Of course, there is also a bean bag, which is the epitome of shapeless comfort. With so many different kinds of chairs, each with unique presence and purpose in this world, one can only wonder how chairs came to be.
The origin of the chair is obscure because quite truthfully, anything can qualify as a chair. A chest, a table or a particularly comfortably-shaped tree stump — they all may have been the first chairs the moment a human sat on them. As people realized the usefulness of being able to stretch their legs without lying down, craftsmen and artisans must have started creating the first pieces of furniture designed for the sole purpose of sitting down. Although multi-purposing other household items may have also sufficed, people’s quest for comfort inspired them to think beyond a plain piece of wood. Simple innovations such as the armrest and cushioning revolutionized the level of leisure we can attain from these wonderful contributions to society.
Chairs have clearly withstood the test of time as testified by their continued presence and relevance today. With the exception of standing-desk offices, every place in the world reaps the benefit of chairs. Classrooms, cafeterias, bathrooms (toilets are debatably chairs), courtyards, offices, restaurants, libraries — the list goes on and on.
Chairs are important for a good reason. The world does not run on chairs, but the world sure does sit on chairs. By relieving the sitter of the physical toil of standing up, chairs allow the sitter to accomplish any task from sleeping to eating to studying to writing an appreciation post about chairs.
Thus, I would sincerely like to say, “Thank you, chairs.”