The Machine

Any part of a machine is equally important. Without the cog, the machine stops working.  Without the linchpin, the machine stops working.  Thoreau said to "Let your life be a counter friction to stop the machine."  I guess it comes down to a choice that we each have to make for ourselves: stop the machine or make it bigger?  The default, of course, is to help build it.  But it's still your choice.