Why is it so difficult to fix people?
“Now serving patient 6371” droned the monotonous voice over the intercom. The steel reinforced doors spewed out hot steam as they hissed open. And the next broken droid was hastily flung into the abyss.
As its frail body crashed onto the cold concrete ground, a dozen massive mechanical tentacles sprang to life. They clasped and clamped firmly upon the droid’s flailing limbs. As they stretched out its robotic frame, a frog-like creature came careening down from the ceiling in a pristine white glass pod.
As this boarish creature skillfully buzzed all around the droid and examined the machine from every possible angle, its golden monocle began to frantically glow.
“Problem identified” croaked the skilled machinist. A series of red arrows on his eye piece zeroed in on the robot’s left shoulder. Immediately, one of the tentacles began to frantically slither around the chamber in search for the right piece of scrap metal.
Once it was found, the debris was tossed into a powerful smelter. And within minutes a brand new gasket was ejected into the claws of the eagerly awaiting tentacle. Once the appropriate repairs were made, the droid was carelessly thrown back onto the ground. And it was hastily shooed towards the exit.
Over and over again, this process was repeated. And without fail, the machinist was able to correctly identify and create the perfect replacement part for each broken droid.
Until one day, a little girl was accidentally mistaken for an android. She was flung into the steaming chamber. As her frail and limp body lay stretched out before the inquisitive eyes of the machinist, he was able to identify her problem.
She was heartbroken and no longer wanted to live.
But no matter how thoroughly the mechanical tentacles scoured the scrap piles, no replacement part could be found and formed.
Machines and computers can easily be fixed whenever a problem is identified. But the same process doesn’t work with us; humans. For even though many of us may share the same problems, the course of repair remains fundamentally unique and personal to each and every individual.
