Technology appears to have become the new opiate of the masses, offering a fatal boost to the warring brethren fighting against one another.
Contrary to what a few smart boys, mostly tech nerds or technopreneurs and the political class, would oblige you to accept, this belief system appears to be a complete fabrication, an insistent falsehood. Wonder why falsehood? Because human beings misled and led astray by their unchecked desires are driven by selfishness and are ethically deficient, battles of various kinds will ultimately erupt.
Technology will evolve further. There's no way you can prevent it from quickly becoming an aspect of insatiable fun to be used against one another to settle scores, real or imagined. In a society demarcated into two distinct gulfs, the "haves" and the "have-nots," shameful as it sounds, human rights and human dignity will erode and continue to do so. Our world is in peril.
War is seen as a game, rather than a tragedy: as if it were a game of pillow fights! So, their motivation is to "Bash on Regardless" of the human cost.
Contrary to what a few smart boys, mostly tech nerds or technopreneurs and the political class, would oblige you to accept, this belief system appears to be a complete fabrication, an insistent falsehood. Wonder why falsehood? Because human beings misled and led astray by their unchecked desires are driven by selfishness and are ethically deficient, battles of various kinds will ultimately erupt.
Technology will evolve further. There's no way you can prevent it from quickly becoming an aspect of insatiable fun to be used against one another to settle scores, real or imagined. In a society demarcated into two distinct gulfs, the "haves" and the "have-nots," shameful as it sounds, human rights and human dignity will erode and continue to do so. Our world is in peril.
[According to war antiquarians, since 1688, there have been eight world wars, but we only know two. The most recent of which lasted from 1939 to 1945, and it was the deadliest in terms of human casualties. There are presently more than 40 active conflicts taking place all over the planet!]
Nine times out of ten, the de facto prelude to apocalyptic scenarios like war, military offensives, or invasion is usually about massive ego confrontations between autocrats - while marshalling their minions in conformity - and autocratic governments going full monty. (Of course, there’s much else involved). The general public of the aggressor nation, as gullible as they can be, is seen as dependent and without rights and can be bludgeoned into submission by an unending onslaught of despotic muscle men who are at the helm of their nation’s affairs. Treated like puppets, they (civilians) have no historical right to live democratically other than to do the bidding of their antagonistic overlords; if they don’t, they will suffer the repercussions. It’s unfortunate that such things still occur in the twenty-first century.
As though war, under whatever alias, were a universal human principle, a standard operating procedure for eliminating all perceived injustices and psychological prejudices. Whatever the case, I see this as a troubling reality that has become, at the very least, dangerously fundamental to our mutually assured destruction (MAD) mentality.
The future is uncertain
Though the future is at once unclear when we talk about technologies that are currently in vogue that are beginning to imbibe human-level intelligence, we can find that several such big-name technological disruptions are shaping our future. Artificial Intelligence (AI), Quantum Computing, Internet of Behaviours (IoB), Blockchain, etc., are just a few mainstream disruptors that are all having an impact on our society. The day is not far when these large-scale technologies will replace real humans as they continue to evolve and take root in our daily lives.
Greed-driven big tech firms are making sure that in a few years, robots will be at our beck and call (read: unemployment, loss of jobs to machines, laziness, and eventually obliteration of the human species!). They’ll let what humanoid robot overlords and machine learning algorithms do what they are good at - gobble up everything by monetizing it to reap huge profits through the ‘extractivist’ tactic. Inroads are already being made.
History is the witness that humanity has always had and will continue to have its share of tragedies, whether we appreciate it or not.
If this is your experience, you should keep reading.
I try not to lead anything in particular; it isn’t my thing. Also, now, I try not to be driven by anything other than the joy of my heart. And the sanity of my head. Moreover, I have no intention of foreseeing the future long before it occurs. Instead, I try to let my actions be guided by the present moment (and the times of the past), rather than grasping at what might come.
Far more than the radical future that lies ahead, the enlightened past fascinates (and enchants) me; little wonder that nostalgia itself assumes such a significant part in my life. Hence, the past offers peace through reminiscing, whereas the future gives off an impression of being fraught with anguish, panic, frenzy, fear, and the constant threat of uncertainty - all rolled into one deadly way of life. That is why I continue to muse: if given the option, I would rather live in the past than be prepared to embrace an extreme future that is, as some people like to reiterate, ‘already evolving’ and ‘rapidly transforming,’ sometimes beyond institutional control if you ask me.
I, like everyone else, look forward to the future, but I'm cheerfully unconcerned about it: who knows, we may be in for some strange or crazy technology that will disfigure the earthy human life, as we have heard in the recent past. What's more, if we’re still alive in the far future, we may have a completely different physical appearance than we do now - well beyond our logical comprehension! (I’m hoping there won’t be any tail-like appendage around at the back!). I have no trouble living in the present moment since I find myself completely immersed in it, yet the past is, of course, a different realm wherein I'd like to dwell now and then. I cannot leave the past behind. The past offers comfort and moments of satisfying reflection.
Human-supremacist worldview!
Define life however you want, but you must live it solely for yourself. Taking it out is also not an option. Not because you want to perish or because you are capable of departing this life, but because you want to tell and hear stories, read a good book, eat a hearty meal, get wet in the rain, feel the cold winter, play with snow, drive a massive old lorry backwards down a hill, or become an incurable wordsmith or ‘readsmith’, if you want.
Each of these encounters will leave you with only one thought: That's the long and short of it! The daily routine is to experience, so continue onward!
This wrangling bit of seemingly meme-filled psychology, which has gone the way of the Dodo lately, can sometimes get unavoidably upfront with you. On the other hand, if you intend to rationally manage the sound and fury of your current life situation, you will soon realize you have enough resources to get your neck out of the woods, free of burdensome prejudiced thinking. (Whether all this global virus uprising of Delta, Omicron is present or not.) Just like that. It takes an ample amount of TIME and RESOURCES to figure out the plan for being successful. Self-rationalizing stuff.
Mind-bending confusion reigns supreme: this is one of the many shortcomings of our so-called modern society to which we have grown accustomed. Unfortunately, the pandemic of the severe acute respiratory syndrome (COVID-19) continues to upset Anthropocentrism, the human-supremacist worldview, and our impact on nature. A word I’ve learned recently. The problem with life is that we grow old too quickly but become wise too late. We spend a large part of our lives dealing with power-hungry grouches and power-drunk killjoys. The daily outrage of the incorrigible lecturing despots, their unmindful sermonising autocrats of rising nationalist bigotry kind, compound our circumstance from awful to highly regrettable.
Furthermore, the fact is that one is still none-the-wiser, unaware of truly comprehending “Modern Life,” and one has ages ago given up the desire to do so. I mean, the majority of the world’s population has no clue what’s going on. Therefore, keeping this context in full view, it’s preferable to be humble and childlike than come face to face with a Hitler, Mussolini, or Gaddafi who raise their ugly heads at your workplace, or in your neighbourhood, or where ever little clusters of uncivilised human society happen to exist. (Sorry for the horrible selection of abominable names, but I needed to put my point across). One’s anguish persists non-stop; perhaps, it’s a gift of the 21st-century modern life or it could be globalization’s “trickle-down to the masses” sense of economics thrown at us. There is no let-up in anguish. How could it be? People are becoming sick and dying at an alarming rate: It’s the Day and Age of Anguish.
[To be continued...]
By Arindam Moulick
End of Part II of III
Written October ‘21 to February 2022.
The future is uncertain
Though the future is at once unclear when we talk about technologies that are currently in vogue that are beginning to imbibe human-level intelligence, we can find that several such big-name technological disruptions are shaping our future. Artificial Intelligence (AI), Quantum Computing, Internet of Behaviours (IoB), Blockchain, etc., are just a few mainstream disruptors that are all having an impact on our society. The day is not far when these large-scale technologies will replace real humans as they continue to evolve and take root in our daily lives.
Greed-driven big tech firms are making sure that in a few years, robots will be at our beck and call (read: unemployment, loss of jobs to machines, laziness, and eventually obliteration of the human species!). They’ll let what humanoid robot overlords and machine learning algorithms do what they are good at - gobble up everything by monetizing it to reap huge profits through the ‘extractivist’ tactic. Inroads are already being made.
[Let’s pretend for a moment that the rise of superintelligent AI isn’t a cause for concern. If done the right way, and especially if they put genuine ethics (technology ethicist anyone?) at its core, then our future on the planet will be one of incredible industrial advancement. Or else there will be grave existential hazards. However, given how AI could pose a threat, we may be arm-twisted to hand over control or relinquish authority to the Slaughterbots, Killer Robots, and their possible ilk. Laughable right? But it isn’t so, believe me.]Over time, the future of humans as a species on the planet will be full of hustling privacy and human rights issues. For a few positives, humankind will come face to face with a tsunami of negatives that will dominate our lives! For better or worse, such big high-tech stuff that is being mass-produced, critics argue, will radically change the course of human history in ways that Hollywood spectacles make an unapologetic exhibition. Soon a new species will arise to take control of everything from humans, even wipe us out if it so chooses. Hardly any surprise then that AI will surpass humans in our lifetime. Can slow humans and fast machines live harmoniously or coexist? Only time will tell if this is true. Everything in life has a silver lining. AI does as well. Humanity's fate hangs in the balance. Many congratulations! Woo-hoo!
History is the witness that humanity has always had and will continue to have its share of tragedies, whether we appreciate it or not.
If this is your experience, you should keep reading.
I try not to lead anything in particular; it isn’t my thing. Also, now, I try not to be driven by anything other than the joy of my heart. And the sanity of my head. Moreover, I have no intention of foreseeing the future long before it occurs. Instead, I try to let my actions be guided by the present moment (and the times of the past), rather than grasping at what might come.
Far more than the radical future that lies ahead, the enlightened past fascinates (and enchants) me; little wonder that nostalgia itself assumes such a significant part in my life. Hence, the past offers peace through reminiscing, whereas the future gives off an impression of being fraught with anguish, panic, frenzy, fear, and the constant threat of uncertainty - all rolled into one deadly way of life. That is why I continue to muse: if given the option, I would rather live in the past than be prepared to embrace an extreme future that is, as some people like to reiterate, ‘already evolving’ and ‘rapidly transforming,’ sometimes beyond institutional control if you ask me.
I, like everyone else, look forward to the future, but I'm cheerfully unconcerned about it: who knows, we may be in for some strange or crazy technology that will disfigure the earthy human life, as we have heard in the recent past. What's more, if we’re still alive in the far future, we may have a completely different physical appearance than we do now - well beyond our logical comprehension! (I’m hoping there won’t be any tail-like appendage around at the back!). I have no trouble living in the present moment since I find myself completely immersed in it, yet the past is, of course, a different realm wherein I'd like to dwell now and then. I cannot leave the past behind. The past offers comfort and moments of satisfying reflection.
“The past is never dead. It’s not even past.” - William FaulknerNonetheless, the past is now my present; the future is another realm, which I imagine is becoming increasingly inextricable from the mind-shuttering multiple human lunacies that are on the way. So, beware.
Human-supremacist worldview!
Define life however you want, but you must live it solely for yourself. Taking it out is also not an option. Not because you want to perish or because you are capable of departing this life, but because you want to tell and hear stories, read a good book, eat a hearty meal, get wet in the rain, feel the cold winter, play with snow, drive a massive old lorry backwards down a hill, or become an incurable wordsmith or ‘readsmith’, if you want.
Each of these encounters will leave you with only one thought: That's the long and short of it! The daily routine is to experience, so continue onward!
This wrangling bit of seemingly meme-filled psychology, which has gone the way of the Dodo lately, can sometimes get unavoidably upfront with you. On the other hand, if you intend to rationally manage the sound and fury of your current life situation, you will soon realize you have enough resources to get your neck out of the woods, free of burdensome prejudiced thinking. (Whether all this global virus uprising of Delta, Omicron is present or not.) Just like that. It takes an ample amount of TIME and RESOURCES to figure out the plan for being successful. Self-rationalizing stuff.
Mind-bending confusion reigns supreme: this is one of the many shortcomings of our so-called modern society to which we have grown accustomed. Unfortunately, the pandemic of the severe acute respiratory syndrome (COVID-19) continues to upset Anthropocentrism, the human-supremacist worldview, and our impact on nature. A word I’ve learned recently. The problem with life is that we grow old too quickly but become wise too late. We spend a large part of our lives dealing with power-hungry grouches and power-drunk killjoys. The daily outrage of the incorrigible lecturing despots, their unmindful sermonising autocrats of rising nationalist bigotry kind, compound our circumstance from awful to highly regrettable.
Furthermore, the fact is that one is still none-the-wiser, unaware of truly comprehending “Modern Life,” and one has ages ago given up the desire to do so. I mean, the majority of the world’s population has no clue what’s going on. Therefore, keeping this context in full view, it’s preferable to be humble and childlike than come face to face with a Hitler, Mussolini, or Gaddafi who raise their ugly heads at your workplace, or in your neighbourhood, or where ever little clusters of uncivilised human society happen to exist. (Sorry for the horrible selection of abominable names, but I needed to put my point across). One’s anguish persists non-stop; perhaps, it’s a gift of the 21st-century modern life or it could be globalization’s “trickle-down to the masses” sense of economics thrown at us. There is no let-up in anguish. How could it be? People are becoming sick and dying at an alarming rate: It’s the Day and Age of Anguish.
[Parenthetically: Advances in Artificial Intelligence (AI), Automation, Virtual Reality, Machine Learning, Robotics, and all the other new-age cold, calculated without human intervention technologies are transforming businesses and accelerating digital transformation, but they are also directly causing people anguish/anxiety/fear and contributing to job losses of staggering proportions. According to Forbes, by 2030, 73 million Americans will lose their jobs due to AI-powered automation and robotization in the United States. In Germany, 17 million jobs will be lost due to automation, while China will lose a staggering 236 million.Every job is at risk of being disrupted or rendered obsolete. In this day and age of rampant digitization in the context of bringing convenience, comfort, and other things into our lives, the threat of losing one's job persists. I should be careful here: while I'm not opposed to automation in general, new inventions, innovations, and job risks will always be our constant companions coming into conflict with one another. Machines/robots are replacing humans, and it's a fact of life. Just ask Alexa! Your job will get automated; don’t come back to work; thanks for your time. Our future is tense.]
“Everything has its wonders, even darkness and silence, and I learn, whatever state I may be in, therein to be content.” - Helen KellerIs it any wonder that human life is in jeopardy? Around the world, it is rapidly deteriorating at rates unprecedented in all of human history. That is most likely how modern living in the 21st-century affects your well-being. I only hope that we are not on the verge of becoming a poorer, meaner, and smaller world; it would be a shame if we were.
[To be continued...]
By Arindam Moulick
End of Part II of III
Written October ‘21 to February 2022.