Coming from someone that works in a retail setting, I think I’m going to shift my mindset regarding check-out transactions. No longer will they be a task to get through as quickly as possible, but an opportunity to partake in a social ritual with other people.
I went to the grocery store yesterday, and two women engaged me in the parking lot.
Walking in, one commented on the rudeness of a driver that didn’t watch for pedestrians. But that gave me the opportunity to tell her how adorable she looked in her orchid-colored outfit.
Returning carts, another brought up the harsh weather, allowing me to make a joke that gave us both a laugh.
Three people smiled and laughed together because we used the parking lot, and not the drive-through.
Smiles and laughter, that’s what we are sacrificing when we choose not to interact, or when that choice is taken away.
I'm an asocial person who enjoys being in my own skin to the point that I relish aloneness and not loneliness. Does that make me a freak? I don't think so, as after all, I am a Human BEING ,as opposed to a human doing, but that doen't mean that I can't associate with others, for I do ,but, I don't necessarily go out of my way to do so. My wife and I enjoyed each others company for 50+years and I still miss her dearly, but I know that she is in a better place and I will see her again in the hereafter. In the meantime, I stay engaged with current events and enjoy the Substacks w/ Sharon, Katie and Aaron that have given me a platform to vent my thoughts on what is going down in our political landscape as well as reading the thoughts of others .
I wish the best to you and thank you for your fair assessment of AI.
I've been thinking about this a lot lately. In Western culture we are already predisposed to be individualistic, not collectivist, and AI/apps/streaming/on-demand everything is causing us to be even more socially isolated.
Now, think about billionaires. Think about how much *more* isolated they're able to be from general society, thanks to their wealth. Think about what that's doing to their brains, to their psychology, to their capacity to feel empathy.
This is a very thought provoking article. Two things come to mind. First, personally coming out of Covid which isolated us, made my job remote, etc. I have found that returning to "normal" is exhausting. A day spent with friends talking wears me out in ways it never did before. Driving in traffic is more stressful again. My brain is still adjusting to what life what like before. Those personal connections are so important! Second, in terms of AI and creativity. My son is a graphic designer and we've had conversations about the future of his profession. While AI is efficient, I don't know if projects will have the same level of "perfection" when they don't have a human being tweaking it and putting their creativity and heart and soul into it.
I'm so conflicted here. While I fully agree with the sentiment spelled out in the article, having been hyper reflective on resilience while raising two young sons, there has to be some middle ground. Yes, there was more connection in "the old days", and I do find that my mental health is better when I am in seasons filled with community. However, the speed of life feels like all too much sometimes. I use AI because the endless expectations, to-do lists, rights and wrongs of parenting loom heavy in my life. I can guarantee that my parents didn't see the need or think about half of the things that we're required to pay attention to these days on the quest to raise resilient, well-adjusted humans. This makes me want to just ask someone (ai?!) what the happy medium is because I also can't continue with the guilt of not being able to "do it all" when there is something that could make my life marginally easier.
I hear you, Shelby and want you to know that only you can make time for the middle ground that you seek. Social mores can be so demanding sometimes as evidenced by your attempt to "do everything" that will look right to the "others out there". You can be the captain of your own ship ( life) by intentionally slowing down and simply enjoying being yourself through the giving to yourself a healthy dose of self love. I'm 81 years old and have been practicing self love for sometime now and although it is a process , it can be done. I'm living proof of it.
This article resonates so much with me. It articulates my biggest concern about AI for myself, my children, and, as a religious person, the future of faith, because struggle points us to God. AI is not God.
This makes me think of the pandemic. People were so starved for connection that it wasn’t uncommon to have a conversation at the grocery checkout line or at the Starbucks drive thru. There was this time where everyone seemed to want community, but once the pandemic waned past people’s patience it turned into an inconvenience. It became less about getting to know their neighbors and more about how their neighbors should just think and act like them.
The decline of people connecting with each other was underway long before the peak of AI hype cycle we are in now. I agree generally with the premise that efficiency isn't always what we want or need. Rather than looking to the past (bumping into people on Main street sidewalk) I wonder about places to connect now and in the future - ways to chat more in the office or staying after an appointment or in the elevator... a mix of old and new feels more realistic than trying to recreate days of yore.
Coming from someone that works in a retail setting, I think I’m going to shift my mindset regarding check-out transactions. No longer will they be a task to get through as quickly as possible, but an opportunity to partake in a social ritual with other people.
I went to the grocery store yesterday, and two women engaged me in the parking lot.
Walking in, one commented on the rudeness of a driver that didn’t watch for pedestrians. But that gave me the opportunity to tell her how adorable she looked in her orchid-colored outfit.
Returning carts, another brought up the harsh weather, allowing me to make a joke that gave us both a laugh.
Three people smiled and laughed together because we used the parking lot, and not the drive-through.
Smiles and laughter, that’s what we are sacrificing when we choose not to interact, or when that choice is taken away.
Well said , Rahaf and very interesting indeed.
I'm an asocial person who enjoys being in my own skin to the point that I relish aloneness and not loneliness. Does that make me a freak? I don't think so, as after all, I am a Human BEING ,as opposed to a human doing, but that doen't mean that I can't associate with others, for I do ,but, I don't necessarily go out of my way to do so. My wife and I enjoyed each others company for 50+years and I still miss her dearly, but I know that she is in a better place and I will see her again in the hereafter. In the meantime, I stay engaged with current events and enjoy the Substacks w/ Sharon, Katie and Aaron that have given me a platform to vent my thoughts on what is going down in our political landscape as well as reading the thoughts of others .
I wish the best to you and thank you for your fair assessment of AI.
I've been thinking about this a lot lately. In Western culture we are already predisposed to be individualistic, not collectivist, and AI/apps/streaming/on-demand everything is causing us to be even more socially isolated.
Now, think about billionaires. Think about how much *more* isolated they're able to be from general society, thanks to their wealth. Think about what that's doing to their brains, to their psychology, to their capacity to feel empathy.
This is a very thought provoking article. Two things come to mind. First, personally coming out of Covid which isolated us, made my job remote, etc. I have found that returning to "normal" is exhausting. A day spent with friends talking wears me out in ways it never did before. Driving in traffic is more stressful again. My brain is still adjusting to what life what like before. Those personal connections are so important! Second, in terms of AI and creativity. My son is a graphic designer and we've had conversations about the future of his profession. While AI is efficient, I don't know if projects will have the same level of "perfection" when they don't have a human being tweaking it and putting their creativity and heart and soul into it.
I'm so conflicted here. While I fully agree with the sentiment spelled out in the article, having been hyper reflective on resilience while raising two young sons, there has to be some middle ground. Yes, there was more connection in "the old days", and I do find that my mental health is better when I am in seasons filled with community. However, the speed of life feels like all too much sometimes. I use AI because the endless expectations, to-do lists, rights and wrongs of parenting loom heavy in my life. I can guarantee that my parents didn't see the need or think about half of the things that we're required to pay attention to these days on the quest to raise resilient, well-adjusted humans. This makes me want to just ask someone (ai?!) what the happy medium is because I also can't continue with the guilt of not being able to "do it all" when there is something that could make my life marginally easier.
I hear you, Shelby and want you to know that only you can make time for the middle ground that you seek. Social mores can be so demanding sometimes as evidenced by your attempt to "do everything" that will look right to the "others out there". You can be the captain of your own ship ( life) by intentionally slowing down and simply enjoying being yourself through the giving to yourself a healthy dose of self love. I'm 81 years old and have been practicing self love for sometime now and although it is a process , it can be done. I'm living proof of it.
As an aside, I'm not talking about narcissism.
This article resonates so much with me. It articulates my biggest concern about AI for myself, my children, and, as a religious person, the future of faith, because struggle points us to God. AI is not God.
This makes me think of the pandemic. People were so starved for connection that it wasn’t uncommon to have a conversation at the grocery checkout line or at the Starbucks drive thru. There was this time where everyone seemed to want community, but once the pandemic waned past people’s patience it turned into an inconvenience. It became less about getting to know their neighbors and more about how their neighbors should just think and act like them.
The decline of people connecting with each other was underway long before the peak of AI hype cycle we are in now. I agree generally with the premise that efficiency isn't always what we want or need. Rather than looking to the past (bumping into people on Main street sidewalk) I wonder about places to connect now and in the future - ways to chat more in the office or staying after an appointment or in the elevator... a mix of old and new feels more realistic than trying to recreate days of yore.