For me 'a mind of metal and wheels' was more the desire for control, conformance, and imposed will, rather than the engagement and interaction-with required for

For me 'a mind of metal and wheels' was more the desire for control, conformance, and imposed will, rather than the engagement and interaction-with required for working with natural processes, trees, flowers, etc - where you can't force things to happen a specific way, you have to work with them...