The automation of many tasks is seen as no great deal today, but that was not the case several decades ago. Daniel Pink uses the example of John Henry and the machine that was able to put him out of a job. While the story may be fictional, it accurately represents the attitudes of some of the people at that time. John Henry was faced with the real prospect of being replaced by a mechanical drill that was reported to work faster and more efficiently than any man ever could. John Henry wanted to represent the laborer and show the inventor that men would always be needed for work. In the end, he was able to defeat the machine but at the expense of his own life.

This sort of resistance to change is what gives many people grief. They may not want to accept that new technology can perform their jobs more efficiently but, many times, it is true. Think about where we would be today without machines to do everyday tasks. Take our cars for example. Today, only the most high-end automobiles are assembled completely by factory workers. Robots replace most of the people on an assembly line. They cut and stamp the sheet metal, weld the components, spray the cars with paint, check for proper fitment of panels, stitch upholstery, and lift all of the heavy car parts. Workers are usually present to oversee the machines in case of a malfunction and for final quality control. Their jobs have been largely replaced, but that is not al bad thing. Cars are now produced quicker and cheaper than ever before, and while the personal touch of a trained technician are largely gone, consumers do not seem to mind.

Today, people rely on the automation of tasks countless times in their lives. They wake up to an alarm clock, drink coffee from an automatic coffee maker, use an electric toothbrush, let the cruise control maintain their speed over their commute (in addition to many other automatic controls in a car), have en elevator take them to their floor, use a computer to write letters and reports, have the climate control keep them at a comfortable temperature, let a cash register/calculator determine correct change for a purchase, and allow a machine answer their calls when they are away. Clearly, there are countless tasks everyday that we let machines do for us. We have come to rely so heavily on them that if electricity were interrupted for any period of time, we would be lost.

The automation in out daily lives has caused us no real harm. In fact, it has actually led to many benefits to us. We can be more productive in our endeavors because we do not have to worry about the small tasks. Machines can do most everything we can do, often at a greater speed and efficiency than we can. Complex mathematical calculations would be near impossible if it were not for powerful computers which can do them for us. They can perform millions of calculations per second while we can only do a few.

Some people worry about a potential loss of our “humanity” that could come with increased automation. Who knows years down the road what will be done for us? Our cars may drive themselves and our food could be cooked automatically. This is a valid concern. I know there are some circumstances where I would rather do a task than have a machine to it for me. While it may be true that it could be done more accurately and efficiently if left to a machine, I get some satisfaction out of performing a manual task. That keeps me feeling as if I have some control over a situation.