Pulling for the 'Man'
The most recent episode of man versus machine in which Watson the IBM-clad robot soundly defeated the two most successful humans ever to play the game of Jeopardy, may be a signal of our impending capitulation to our external creations. When we look back at earlier contests of this magnitude such as the legendary battle of steel worker John Henry against the steam drill, or chess king Garry Kasparov's containment of the computer "Deep Blue," there seemed to be a little more resilience and determination on the human side. The mighty John Henry emerged victorious from his epic duel with manufactured progress, albeit a pyrrhic victory in that he died shortly after the contest. Garry Kasparov mustered everything in his arsenal of strategic moves to wage a comeback and ultimate victory against his wily computer opponent in their six-match encounter. Today, we seem a little too eager to concede victory, embracing technology as friend rather than foe, and accepting a role of service in the kitchen of the house we built. In disagreeing with the initial words of Homer Simpson, which were echoed by defeated Jeopardy contestant Ken Jennings, I for one, do not welcome our new computer overlords.
It made sense in the beginning to unload the heavy lifting from human shoulders to robots better equipped to haul, stack and load with greater speed and accuracy than our physical limitations could accommodate. The initial idea, of course, was that man would better the world by harnessing the power of his evolving intelligence. Now that thinking comprises much of our daily chores as the hammer of the 21st century, are we now ready to unhitch the trailer of the mind? With our physical prowess reduced to a husk of looks, and our mental department being outsourced to intelligence carriers, we can move forward with what? Come on humans, it's time to validate our existence with the qualities that give us an edge over our computer creations.
As individuals, we are already operating far below our potential, and we would be better served to devote more of our resources to what makes a human excel, to what gives us an advantage, and to what sustains our advantage? We marvel at the speed of electronic communication, yet we don't put a value on an act of kindness. Machines represent things that can be counted. Man, on the other hand, represents things that cannot be counted such as compassion, creativity, spontaneity, grace and optimism. These are the ingredients of powerful relationships. And relationships are what make the world go around. And what about our greatest asset of all, something that cannot be bottled, circuited, or outsourced —; the human spirit. The fuel that has driven exploration, discovery, and progress is often the thing we value the least. Because something is not clearly identifiable, or does not have an anatomical designation, or cannot be measured in bytes or bits, we are less inclined to cultivate it, depriving ourselves of our most vital sustenance. If we have a source to a higher power it is here that it resides. Remarkable things are accomplished every day by individuals lacking education, physical strength and many of the so called resources that we put the greatest stock in. Where we are lacking, spirit intercedes and prevails, and spirit is a well that we all have access to, because it does not discriminate. Spirit is the fabric that stitches our day to day interactions, and weaves a web of powerful living far superior to anything contrived on the internet.
Just like individual greatness is limited by the parameters and restrictions that we impose on ourselves, so is the greatness of organizations stunted by over-management and under-utilization of team members. We celebrate and reward companies for their success in dehumanizing their organizations. We measure our progress by our ability to outsource our identity in fragments whether it is our memory, our voice or our very presence. Most business entities have no concept of the force of people power that lies dormant within their confines. And they will probably never know, because rather than feed the furnace of human creativity that burns the engine of success, they choose to dole out particles of light on spots of darkness, oblivious to the human flames of productivity waiting for a pilot light. Most organizations prefer machine over man, manufactured energy over human synergy, because machine is easier to manage. So often in our business endeavors, we constrain our resources rather than unleash the restless inquisitive nature of mankind, as though afraid of our own power. Organizations that are purpose driven are people driven organizations. Organizations that are profit-driven are driven by tools of disposal, engines of the moment and icons of greed.
We are being consumed by a monster of our own creation. We were chosen over machines, or we would not be here. Our existence on this earth will not be valued by what we chose to replace ourselves with, but what we become while we are here. If we took a fraction of the time that we devote to annihilating each other, and spent it working together to improve our existence, we would be the race, and not in a race.