I understand your point
However, I disagree with some of the assumptions you're making. I don't believe it's human nature to do the easiest thing. I think it's human nature to search for meaning and to do meaningful things.
I love driving, and I'll seldom use navigation tech (unless using the car for deliveries or something). I memorize the route beforehand and, if I get lost, I try to figure it out, or stop and ask for directions or look at the (admittedly non-paper) map again. It's a beautiful thing, to be lost and to find your way again.
When taxiing in a C152/172 (or whatever I can see the ground in) in summer, I'll try to avoid squishing the grasshoppers that swarm the taxiways. Ground doesn't mind. I know I'm still going to kill a bunch of them on the runway and who-knows-how-many insects in flight, but the ones that I have a choice to avoid I will. Even though it's far from easy.
If one flies for a living, it is reasonable to assume that this person finds some meaning in flying. Otherwise why do it in the first place? Can't be for the money. There's much less stressful ways of making much more money.
For all the people saying "why would we choose the extra workload etc" I just want to ask "but don't you enjoy flying? Are you not addicted to your aircraft and the way it moves? And the way you make it move?"
If someone has to force pilots to hand-fly, I would question what they're doing there in the first place.