We The Humans And Our Tools


We the human race thrived so much because of tools. Tools are the main differentiator in capabilities between humans and animals. Tools are not only physical things, these can be services we use(for e.g. internet, telephone, TV connection) or the knowledge and skills we acquire. If we look back at human evolution, we will find that our tools evolved faster than we did and these tools in turn gave direction to our further evolution. Interesting thing is that as we kept on bettering our tools, our physical(including brain) and mental strengths and capabilities went on diminishing. For e.g. if we compare the current human skeletal structure with just 1000 years older ancestors, it has downsized significantly. Same with muscle power, brain power and psychological state. In history we have many incidents of humans taking on fights with bulls, boars, hyenas and even tigers. That's because physically we were indeed capable of it. Today we cannot dare to take on even a dog with our bare hands. We gave away lot of skills and capabilities as a result of using tools. For e.g.
  • We gave away our calculation skills to calculator. Even for solving grade 3 sum now we depend on it
  • We gave away memorizing skills to smartphones, computers. We struggle to remember even our spouse's cell phone number
  • We gave away touch and feel of mother earth as we hardly (can) walk barefoot or feel the soil with bare hands. Even inside house we always put footwear on.
  • We gave away perspiration, the natural cooling and detox system of our body, even our gyms are air-conditioned
  • We gave away imagination to TV and internet as we search for the answers to our questions and solutions to our problems in the blink of an eye

Just 10 to 20 years back we were capable of doing many of these things. As we walked on in life in pursuit of convenience, we kept dropping our skills which honestly were not dispensable at all.

We use many tools in a day while performing daily chores and\or our job at workplace. Tools are such an integral part of our life that we completely forget we are using them. We use them almost unconsciously. Here is the list of some (physical) tools we use in our day to day life:

 Toothbrush     Stapler              Pen          Broom                    Keys                Watch
Phone              Calculator        Comb      Hair dryer            Nail cutter      Shoes
Goggles          Scissors            Razors    Gardening tools  Carpentering tools
Safety tools   Kitchen tools  etc.
In history, we have lived without all these but today we cannot even imagine a day without these tools and appliances.

 We know the importance of tool and we have always worshiped our tools. Having accepted the importance of tools, we need to be conscious about their usage and its dependency in our life. We frequently hear the idiom, sharpening the saw which means keep yourself updated on all fronts. I humbly suggest we convert it into an intentional  3 step exercise:

  1. Keep it sharp
  2. Use it wisely
  3. Give it a break
Now let's understand it with an example close to everyone's heart( i.e. our pocket). 

1. Keep it sharp - Sharp is enough


It is good to have a smartphone. You may keep upgrading it as per need however, you don't need the best in the world in your hand. Because the best maybe best by a whisker and may do couple of things more or better. Objective should be that you be and do the best with what you have, not to have the best. You can surely do better with better.

2. Use it wisely - Don't be dumb


We need smartphones to do things smartly however, if we are not smart in it's usage you can actually use it in wrong direction. We can do many things with our smartphones which saves us time and money but how are you utilizing the saved time and money? By fiddling with your devices for hours and paying hefty internet bills? You are actually making the smartphone serve you worse than normal phone because you are outsmarting its smartness with your stupidity.

3. Give it a break - Or you may breakdown



And what if you don't have your smartphone with you? Suppose it broke, needs 3 days to repair. What will you do in this situation? Can you smoothly switch to feature phone without getting hyper and restless? Or will you react something like, "Are you kidding me? I can't even step out of house without it". And immediately start exploring alternatives like using the backup phone, borrowing device from friend\family or even buying a cheaper one for time being, then somewhere you are in slavery mode and need to step back a little and ponder over it. 

Take out little time to think about all tools that you use. Apply above three assessment checks and make sure you have a plan in case of unavailability of any tools, appliances and services. Tools are invented for facilitation, convenience and resource saving. But as they do it for you, make sure you are not getting enslaved and surrender your existence to theirs.  
Life must be need driven and not greed driven!

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