"Oh, she says, well, you're not a poor man. You know, why don't you go online and buy a hundred envelopes and put them in the closet?" And so I pretend not to hear her. And go out to get an envelope because I'm going to have a hell of a good time in the process of buying one envelope. I meet a lot of people. And see some great looking babies. And a fire engine goes by. And I give them the thumbs up. And I'll ask a woman what kind of dog that is. And, and I don't know. The moral of the story is - we're here on Earth to fart around. And, of course, the computers will do us out of that. And what the computer people don't realize, or they don't care, is we're dancing animals. You know, we love to move around. And it's like we're not supposed to dance at all anymore." ~Kurt Vonnegut
here has recently been an uptick in the AI propaganda world as of late regarding the most wondrous and heavenly benefits of installing AI into our lives. We are daily bombarded with the ideas AI will make our Medicine better, our Mental Health better because AI will do all the diagnostic work and will do so better than the practitioner themselves, leaving them more time to do their billing and medical charting and lessen their time in the operating room and the examine room, or therapy office. There is even AI who will write the chart notes for the practitioner and AI is already working on doing away with the therapist themselves as well as the physicians (not an exaggeration). Creativity wise, AI has already proven itself to be the thief in the night regarding artistic works, capable of forgery and theft, as well as misrepresentation of its programing as true creativity surpassing that of human endeavor. Opposition of course is seen as standing in the way of humanity's advancement into a superior species. A highly technological society is equated with a superior, more advanced humanity on the evolutionary scale and the things we lose or fall behind in the process are aberrations and things humanity needs to shed in order to be better, or in reality subservient to the technology. As harsh and bleak as this assessment sounds, it nevertheless needs to be said because it is real and grounded in truth. One need only realize AI has already intruded into our politics to be reminded it has done us nothing beneficial other than to reveal it has no place in the political process other than to heighten and deepen the levels of dishonesty and deception already prevalent in the process itself. Underscoring how too easily people are willing to prey upon one another under the guise of making our lives better/easier even it if means destroying our humanity in the process. Our faith in the AI mirrors our faith in our religions with the same skepticism and blind obedience and disillusionment.
onsequently, our devotion to AI means a distancing ourselves from the natural world because there is an unspoken acknowledgement AI is better than the human component because the AI perception is superior and the end product it produces is superior to that of its human counterpart. As such, it becomes the authority, the master, and we become the servant, the student in search of truth which is handed down to us by AI. By it's programing, we invest in it we are accepting it's judgment on what is the best diagnosis, the best art, the best use of creativity and the best judge of the human character. The premise driving AI, is human decision making is faulty/inadequate and AI corrects that. If AI can give us a perfect landscape, void of all the supposed imperfections of the real one it takes away the incentive to go for walks, interact with other human beings in person (AI can do that for you), gaze at the stars, go to a concert, feel the wind upon one's face, soak one's feet in a lake or stream or let the water of a creek run through your fingers, or the rain touch your face. AI has no room for humanity because it can't be human and doesn't understand the nuances of being human. It will not, nor can not experience the joy or awe of moonrise, or the humbling which occurs of one standing at the base of a mountain at six thousand feet which rises fourteen thousand feet into the sky. AI may be able to mimic through words, but it is emotionally and spiritually void of such capability and that is the realm of the Artist, and at the basic level of being human. AI can create the step to a dance, but it can not Dance. It is a doppel-ganger of humanity. There is no soul to the things it accomplishes, it can only copy and not feel, not be, and if we are aspiring our technology to reach this level (and we are) we need to cease that journey for the sake of our humanity.
ohn Muir stated, "The rivers flow not past, but through us, thrilling, tingling, vibrating every fiber and cell of the substance of our bodies, making them glide and sing." AI lulls us into the idea if the natural world diminishes or vanishes, it will fill the void with something better, something we can expend less energy in discovering by going outside of our door. It will provide us with a better landscape, a better flower, a better poem or piece of music, a better diagnosis, a better quality of life in all the physical, emotional, spiritual and mental realms and do so without us leaving our homes or having to interact with our fellow man (because AI can replace and be better at that as well). Humanity might rediscover and reconnect with the magic of the natural world which would be the antithesis to AI. To reaffirm our connection to the natural world as a living and breathing consciousness, an object infused with spiritual presence which we daily interact with provides us with a refuge for our spiritual lives which AI can not understand and can not define because it permeates all our spiritual walks. One of the most basic teachings of Judeo/Christian tradition places our role as Stewards of the Earth as part of our origins. Other spiritual walks talk about our interdependence upon the earth itself, telling us what we do to part of it effects' the whole. Life is the web, a hoop, our mother, etc.... On this point our science and faiths agree, that our actions to the earth directly impact our humanity as well as our relationships with our gods/goddesses. AI has no place here as it can not become the Artist, the priest/priestess, the healer or even the guide. AI is as far from the natural world as possible, as far from humanity as possible. It can not feel the grasses, leaves and earth against our feet and the connection such events create. It can only parrot the words, but not the emotion or spirit involved and if we have begun to have a hard time distinguishing between the parroting and the actual artistic work, AI has already gone too far and we have the seeds of a holocaust in the makings.
pray from the falls reached beyond the shore of where the water gathered momentarily to flow into the forest. Numerous ferns thrived at the farthest border of that mist, as did an abundance of flowering vines, deep moss and trees whose roots gathered at the edge of the water itself before plunging in deeply to drink. The copious amounts of water at any given time, coupled with the palpable rumbling which shook the air marked this as a sacred spot. Some ancient lore in the university recorded in a tome spoke of this as a place of emergence and convergence of magic, of life, of perhaps the place which was one of the points that tied the lands together, both mortal and magic. It was a place of river Otters, song birds, sparkling light, Owls, Salmon, Ravens, translucent stones which shimmered in the moonlight, ebbs and flows of magic, music indistinguishable between the sound of water, wind through the trees or instruments of string and pipes. It was a timeless place, where one would lose hours easily or find time had passed little but seeming days had gone by. This place could only be found if it wanted to be, and if not one would simply pass it by. Neither Sidhe or human had found ways to discover it on their own. Without the consent of the forest the doors to this place were not open. One could find both Fey and human here, both magical and mortal worlds converging without conflict, without fear. Most however were from the village, so such concerns were not present to start with. Occasionally though, a merchant or traveler arrived there without incident and left the better person for their stay however long. It did not need to be kept a secret, that naturally happened just as the sun rose and set. One observant enough might discover it, but without the permission of the forest itself access and actually finding it in the same place would be another tale altogether.
No comments:
Post a Comment