Machines Really Do Rule !

The day was going along pretty good, getting things done at the job. Being a diligent employee. Checking some things off the “to do” list. Just a normal, nothing extraordinary, everyday, kind of a day. As my mother would have said “nothing to write home about” day.

I had noticed, for a few days, my computer seemed to be a little slower than normal, so I talked to my supervisor about it. She came to my desk and as she was saying “let me drive”, I relinquished my chair to her to check the machine out. After a few minutes she got up and went back to her desk and said she would need to contact the IT department.

It wasn't long before the IT Guy was on the scene. He crawled under my desk and swept away the tower to “check it out”. Well, that was a day and a half ago and still no word or prognosis. It must be seriously sick with a virus of some sort. Or perhaps a makeover surgery is having to be done.

Now, when a computer gets a virus, instead of upchucking, chills and fever it becomes slow and draggy and is constantly crashing. Not sure what’s crashing into what inside that box, but one thing's for sure. It crashes into every nerve of the operator, until the poor human staring at the mesmerizing screen becomes cross-eyed with fatigue. Before long frustration sets in, followed by hair pulling and then moans and groans and sighs of all sorts start coming from the mouth of the human.

An emotionless, plastic box holds the human captive and always gets it’s way. No matter what the human does … usually the machine wins! We are in a war --- Humans vs Machines!

When the machine is finally removed from the human’s presence, reality sets in. What will the human do now that it’s gone? Instead of relief from the stress that is imposed upon the life of the human by the machine, the human now feels helpless.

But a plan is devised! Time to clean out those desk drawers and pack away last year’s paperwork. During this “nest building” process the human finally begins to breath a little easier. Nothing like a thorough cleaning up to give one a feeling of renewal and rejuvenation!

However, before long, the human realizes a tendency to reach, just every so often, for the mouse to the computer. The human jest about this with a co-worker and they both laugh about it. But this seemingly innocent happenstance gets the human to thinking. This little honest, habitual action is proof of how much humans are connected to machines! Evidence that machines do rule the world. Sounds like a sci-fi movie I saw once back in the 60’s.

Well, the human gets all the paperwork sorted, trashed and put away. Everything is nice and orderly as it should be. An investigation is done about the condition of the machine. The human needs that plastic box of circuits and wires to do it’s job. No diagnosis or prognosis is offered to satisfy the human.

The surgery must be extensive. Will there be scarring? Just how will the machine overcome such a traumatic event? But wait … this is a machine … it can’t have a traumatic event or be scarred … can it?

And the human is starting to experience withdrawals! This withdrawal period is very eye opening for the human. Every time the human thinks of something to do, it’s obvious how dependant the human is on the machine. But, the feelings are not mutual! The machine does not care how connected the human is to it.

And … that’s why machines rule!

One wonders how all this came about. How did we humans become so reliant on a bunch of plastic boxes filled with lifeless wires, chips, lights and circuits? And while most humans have no inkling of an idea how all the technology really works, we know the machines are a must in the humans daily lives.

What happens when the plug is finally pulled?