What Next?

The full moon helped to give the night a glow.  This past week it has been shining light as the darkness filled the sky.  The morning this short essay began, she was still smiling and the temperature remained in the coolness of the 4o's, fahrenheit. On Thursday, the early morning, just before the light was fully up, one could see there were no clouds and skies were clear.  The energy - steady but calm.  

Transitions invite the exercise of muscles that are sometimes forgotten.  Whether it is managing something that has to change in a routine or something else that requires a different physical or mental approach, changes invite a new awareness. What happens if there is a loss of the phenomenon of what we call "awareness" because it is no longer a capacity that human beings need?

If it sounds a little nutty, perhaps it is.  Lately the news has been carrying stories about artificial intelligence that may have the capacity to replace what the brain does.  It is impressive.  Taking terabytes of data and creating a capacity to engage as if human - but it is not.  It is a useful exploration for identifying and synthesizing information, but what about the mystery of being?  What about the intangible related to the experience of transitions and transformation?  The  part of human "being" is the part that serves as the passageway to experiencing the mystery of life.

Watching people who are moving from life to the next thing - whatever that may be - makes for a good space to experience the mystery.  What would an artificial awareness of that experience be made of, given all the data that exists in our world?  Just wondering.  Think about the unknown and the vast opportunity to explore and feel what it is to simply not know what's next - this would disappear.  The imagination would be stunted.  The creativity would be manufactured out of that which already exists rather than that which does not.  There would be a loss of something we call "emergence.".

All of this musing is not about being unwilling to have technology and innovations to support human existence.  On the contrary, many advances in technology, telecommunications, travel - have allowed living in today's world rather wondrous. Having the ability to communicate in real time, events that are occuring across the globe;  being able to see grandchildren from a screen;  having access to information and ideas that might never have crossed community boundaries – all have an amazing effect on daily life.

And, one has to wonder - where will the guidance come from in harnessing this newest innovation called "artificial" intelligence?  And what/who will be born of it? Really, if there was a way to increase capacity for compassion and care;  and decrease capacity for suspicion and doubt - that could be beyond amazing.  So the question is, "What next?".