Continuing advances in technology have made flying a commercial airplane simpler and easier than ever. Though the earliest forms of autopilot were developed only a few years after the Wright Brothers first took flight, upgraded computer systems have removed more and more of the human element involved in piloting a plane. The thought, of course, is that autopilot is a good thing, and undoubtedly has some advantages. But even with the benefits, there is some danger that comes with it, too.

A few years ago, Northwest Flight 188, traveling from San Diego to Minneapolis-St. Paul, overshot the airport by 150 miles. Despite repeated attempts to reach the crew - who later said they’d gotten caught up in a heated discussion after shifting the plane to autopilot, but who some believe may have been even more distracted or possibly even sleeping - eventually realized they were nowhere near their desired destination. They recovered to make a safe, albeit late arrival, but many other flights haven’t been so lucky. An N.T.S.B. review of 37 major plane crashes that involved airline crews found in 31 cases that “faulty or inadequate monitoring were partly to blame. Nothing had failed; the crew had just neglected to properly monitor the controls.”

The draw to put a plane on autopilot is understandable. It is undoubtedly easier and more convenient for the pilot. In many ways, that’s the same draw many of us feel in our own lives, isn’t it? It’s easy to put ourselves on autopilot. We set the controls for the day ahead, check out and just mindlessly go through the motions. Because we place a high value on what's easy and convenient these days, autopilot seems to have some benefits. But I do want you to see that just like on an airplane, that choice has the potential to be dangerous for us, too. If we aren’t careful, autopilot can easily take us farther from our desired destination, or even cause us to crash and burn altogether.