I’ve been thinking about this post for quite a while. It seems more relevant every day. It seems more obvious, more vital, more impossible, more simple as well! There is no try, do or do not. The world is becoming more depersonalized, more digital, more tribal, more angry, more corporate, more artificial intelligence and less emotional intelligence. But, we did and do this. We built this through a nearly infinite series of steps leading from the primordial ooze. We can undo this. We must. I must. I will. Will you join me?
Let’s get the obvious, the visceral, the nonproductive out of our systems first. No Amazon Music I do not want to upgrade to unlimited. You have asked me this at least 1000 times maybe 5000 times? What have I answered to (we’ll call it) 5000 times that you asked? 4998 times I said no and twice I accidentally clicked on the deceptively colored yes button. Both of those times I then had to waste even more time calling customer support to undo what you tricked me into doing. You know this is dishonest. You know this is not “the most customer centric company on the planet”. You know we all want to stop supporting you with our dollars. You know this is difficult (for many of us). You know this is not how humans treat other humans. Shame on you. Shame on us.
Is this simply a confusing nonsequiter? No, this is exactly the point. The world now is a collection AI-powered business models battling each other to extract every last click and dollar and eyeball out of humanity. We are doing this. We are not meeting for coffee rather texting. We are not going to high school reunions, we are scrolling through social media. We are not putting pen to paper but instead at best emailing if not texting or just giving a like or thumbs-up on some site that we know is killing us but we can’t look away. We are all addicted to poisoning our souls. What is the true cost of progress?
Touching soil. Walking. Hugging. Calling to say you miss someone. Checking in with our families of origin and families of choice, Turning the pages of an actual book and not tapping on a tablet. This is how we will right the ship. This is how we will save ourselves. This is how we will end the frightened, acrid, tribal powergrabs. This is how we will reduce the rolls of homeless and abused and suicides and global warming gas buildup and type two diabetes. It is all connected. It is all necessary but insufficient.
Do I need to stop using this computer and pull out pen and paper? Is posting this on the internet oxymoronic? Can I, must I do more? Is it a sin if I don’t know it is wrong? Do sins exist? I must live with humility, curiosity, love, accountability, and grace. I am likely doing better than I fear but not as good as I could. It is a process, a journey, a series of millions of steps. It begins with reconnecting with ourselves, rediscovering our humanity.
