The inside of this digital press is only viewed by me for one reason: a paper jam. Obviously, since I took this picture, I recently experienced one of those jams. But then, I suppose, without that frustration, I’d never get a view like this and imagine we’re being taken over by cyclops cyborgs…with green levers.
From the outside, the press seems pretty simple. You push a few buttons, put some paper in a tray, and viola – it prints beautiful pictures. Or creates booklets. Or postcards. Or anything else. But other than a couple screens and trays, it really looks simple. It’s a big gray box that produces color prints.
Once you open up one of the doors though, a whole new world is exposed. There are those green knobs and levers. Gears. Wires. Rollers. Hidden compartments where paper particles like to dwell as they set off sensors that insist there’s still a jam in there somewhere. There are sharp edges that get caught on inquisitive fingers. Hot surfaces. Warning labels. Springs. Screws. And things that have no name with mysterious functions.
The simple machine suddenly becomes a complex giant, which can be intimidating to say the least. The technology taken for granted is suddenly respected for all its intricacies – even more so when the service man has to be called because you can’t find the problem in the maze of mechanisms.
So often, more than just printers or copy machines are taken for granted. I’m talking people. We think we can look at a person, size them up after one conversation and assume their life story, or even just their personality. But the fact is, they’re no more simple than all those wires, knobs and invisible hot surfaces that are only found by sticking your hand into the dark abyss. People, of all things, should never be taken for granted. They’re made up of preferences, quirks and past experiences. Multi-faceted personality traits, moral standards and hidden secrets. Broken hearts, sharp minds and fears no one else knows. Under the simple exterior lies a multitude of mysteries.
Nobody should be taken for granted. Ever single person is complex, no matter how simple you secretly think they are. You’ll never accurately size up a person at a glance, come to the right conclusion after only a handshake or be able to predict their behaviors after only one encounter. They’re too complicated for that. And it’s a complexity that should be respected. Explored. Investigated before assumptions are made.
Besides…you may find out they’re actually a cyborg.
Feel free to leave a comment with your thoughts. I love hearing from you!
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