cog in a machine

always thrown around as an insult and a negative term, but can I offer a subversion?

yes, I want to be a cog in a machine.

would I rather be the driver or navigator of the machine? sure, but only sometimes. other times, I like being a cog in a machine.

at their best, machines can be wonders. a well-designed machine can be beautiful, elegant, curious. think of the machines in our lives that we appreciate, or adore. a precise wristwatch. a car engine that purrs. a dyson vacuum. machines accomplish more than their parts do separately, more than raw materials uncut and unshaped. and the way that they're assembled — the way the delicate gears of a watch fit together — that can be quite marvelous in itself. this is why I'm an engineer, after all...

so yeah, I don't really mind being a quartz in a Rolex.

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