The more tools you have in your toolbelt the better off you will be.

Regarding the making simple things simpler...sometimes that can be useful, but other times not. Using the tool analogy, if I have a shingle to replace on my roof, I am going to use a razor knife, a hammer (the manual kind) and a regular roofing nail, if I have a new roof to install I am going to use more automation ( a nail or staple gun loaded with all the hardware I need) to do the simple thing over and over.

Regarding hiding the complexity, I agree completely. There are many times I recall having trouble getting far enough into a hidden complex task that would have been easier to do the hard way because at least that way I knew how it worked and why it worked.