I hate gearshift cars

I collected my Avis rental car when in Johannesburg for a business meeting - some type of Renault. It was equipped with a manual gearshift. In a modern world when many technical problems have been solved, why is it still necessary to push a clutch when shifting a gear. I cannot understand why we still make manual gearshift cars. It was with a lot of relief that I slipped behind the Merc's steering wheel when I returned to the Cape.