We Become

In the OR, lives are transformed on a regular basis, from fierce nipple reconstruction to tumor removal. Many of these transformations, however, are only possible because of the availability of sophisticated machinery, such as endoscopes, robotic arms, and heart monitors- many of which are due to engineering and physics.

When it comes to engineering, however, it is often important to consider the effects beyond the immediate impact. While we are engineering the OR into a place of advanced medical practice, are we not engineering also our own souls into something more and something different than ever before? Without machines, who are we anymore? Are we just cavemen, or have we evolved into an anthropo-machino-hybrid species?

We see in movies all the time where humans and robots collide in a war between good and evil, in a struggle for the survival of our kind, in an epic journey to find truth and love in a war-torn barren land where hope is scarce and meaning is forgone. Here in this world, however, the dichotomy between man and machine is not so dichotomous after all, for man and machine are but two facets of the same humano-robotic entity (i.e. us). Thus, the theatrics in movies really just depict our inner struggle between becoming machines and maintaining the human quality.

Who we are is not simply defined by who we want to be, but also by who we need to be. We must engineer more tools and technology to help preserve our very being- to prolong the existence of our kind through ICUs and to increase the chances of our coming into existence through neonatal care stations. We want to remain human, with warmth, compassion, love, and harmony, but we need to become machine to maintain our livelihood.

It seems that our future may depend heavily on how we embrace technology and on whether or not we can maintain a concordant symbiosis with the deus ex machina within our souls.