Pandora's Box: Hope always remains

     Most everyone has heard of Pandora’s Box (it should really be referred to as Pandora’s Jar) but the details are not always that clear. In Greek Mythology (and myths are those stories that help to explain the world to the surrounding society), Pandora was the first woman created by the gods. They gave her lots of positive attributes, each according to the strength and power of each individual god. They also gave her a sealed jar which was to be kept unopened (does this sound a bit like an apple in a garden?). Since curiosity is one of the prime emotions of humanity, that forbiddance was only an enticement to see what was inside the jar. When she opened up the jar, the evils of humankind leapt out into the world … but hope remained.

     The story continues to carry force just as humanity continues to have imagination and curiosity as a basic aspect of our personalities (not for everyone, but for many). In particular, humans seem to be fascinated with technology. Or, at least, advances in technology are the ones most honored by society. There are certainly those who work on philosophical, spiritual, meditative, or interrelationships that could make even more of an effect upon society if society were open to their movement and growth.

     And there we have the struggle. Oh, it is not a precise “them versus us” type of struggle. But, since technological progress can often be inserted within the economy and, thus, “valued” in monetary units it is most often valued above progress in behavior and humanity. And that is sad.

     Almost every (perhaps every) technological advance can be used for the improvement of humankind or for the advancement of a small subset of humankind. Going from the Stone Age to the Bronze Age allowed for better cooking utensils, better diet, and general tools to be used for art and construction. It also allowed for more efficient weapons. The same holds for the movement from the Bronze Age to the Iron Age.

     Perhaps, if the evolution of technology went hand-in-hand with the evolution of society, life would always improve with each step (forward or backward? A matter of opinion). I don’t know if that will ever be known as it has yet to happen, in my limited knowledge.

     During the age of the Luddites in the early 1800s, the technological step was towards automation. The displacement of skilled labor was a huge strain upon the populace and, since the general society did not recognize, and allow for, this change it was a matter of great concern to many — many who did not have monetary, or societal, influence. In such a situation, groups of people often fall back to violence even though they know that such actions will not have a long-term positive effect.

     Two hundred years later, we have yet to fully absorb the changes to society brought about from automation. And now we have a useful generative AI inserted into our society. Understood well by general society — no. Understood, and utilized optimally by general industry — no. Societal effects upon the general population researched and worked with for a gradual, and less painful, shift in society — no.

     But we will continue to move forward. The technology cannot be “put back into the bottle”. We could learn from the past and research the general societal and economic effects from such technology but will we? Ah, that is up to all of us — and that does not give us good odds on the results.

     So, here comes AI “out of the bottle”. It is causing turbulence and will cause more (just how much is yet unknown) along with economic displacement. As is true of other technologies, there are “two edges”. But, as is also true of prior technologies, there has been no concerted effort to prepare for the shift in society, jobs, and integration with other factors which will be caused by the introduction of generative AI (and, it shall be even more difficult with more generalized AI in the future). Perhaps, somewhere, there exists an authoritative group that deals with serious interactions between technology and people — but, instead, we keep getting political and profit-based incursions into public decisions.

     We can do much, much, better — and we need to do such.

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Mortality: How can awareness change your life?

     No specific focus for this blog -- just lots on wandering (and wondering) thoughts. I have gone past the anniversary of 60 years of the earth moving around the sun. I occasionally talk to my children about preparing for my not being around anymore. They don't like this at all -- but it isn't something that will become easier with time and they need to deeply understand that they cannot stay reliant on their mother and myself -- that there is pressing need to be able to fly out of the nest.
     Not that I plan to die tomorrow. Who does? (Well, some souls do have a more precise knowledge to encourage preparation.) The general societal culture in the United States is one of avoidance of death -- the attempt to live forever (preferably looking like one did at age 21) seems to be in many of the increasing number of sales brochures that arrive in my mailbox (electronic or physical).
     Various strategies for immortality have been attempted over the centuries. Presently, cryogenic preservation and digital simulation/storage are among the more active avenues being attempted (none have been proven to work so far).
     There is no reason that a person should NOT attempt to be the healthiest (mentally and physically) possible while they are loping around this world -- as long as they aren't spending most of their time and thoughts on doing that instead of actually living their lives. Or, as I like to put it, "worrying about things is often worse for your health than the things you worry about".
     Robert A. Heinlein's story "Lifeline" dealt with the idea that a machine could be developed that can tell you when the lifeline is to be cut -- the day that you would die. Of course, this was not good for the insurance companies. It did not end well, of course, but the sealed envelope the inventor left ... well just read the story.
     I don't think I would like to know just what day my story ends. But I like to think that I do use my awareness of my mortality to live my life as best as I can. I have lost my fear of saying "I love you" to people as I am much more afraid that I might leave without letting them know. I try to keep my "things in order" so that my wife will know where all the accounts are if I'm not around and can pay the bills and make use of the money we have saved.
     However, I do NOT have my study or house in as tidy of shape as I used to have it. As Bill Murray says in "Meatballs" -- It Just Doesn't Matter. Oh, I'll fight the fight against entropy when I can -- or when it becomes important to my wife -- but I no longer consider it to be a major sin.
     I have a general (and, possibly, more conscious than many) daily awareness of my life's eventual end but I don't update my obituary each day. I know that STATISTICALLY I have quite a few more years in me as my ancestors who died "natural" deaths tended to live quite a while. So, it only affects me in a mild (and, hopefully, positive) way.
     One way that my own attitude affects me, however, is that of being more aware of OTHER people's mortality and a wondering of how their circumstances change their lives. If a person lives in a country at war, or with a large degree of terrorism and destruction on a daily basis, how does this change how they deal with life on a daily basis? If, because of skin color, ethnicity, or religion, they know that others may irrationally murder them as they walk down the street how does that change their attitude toward life each day? Do they embrace life and speak loudly and laugh as much as they can and generally live each day to the full? Or do they move from one shadow to the next hoping to increase their chances of making it to the next day? Or perhaps it is a mixture of all -- changing from day to day and person to person.
     There is, of course, the other end of the spectrum -- being so scared of one's eventual mortality that paranoia, selfishness, and self-isolation become daily crutches. As Frank Herbert says in Dune -- "fear is the mind killer" and death certainly qualifies for fear for many. For some, it reaches a degree of fear that they forget to actually enjoy what they can while they are still alive. I don't know but I would suspect that people who live in a higher-than-average dangerous situation learn to suppress reasonable fear because, realistically, there is little they can do.
     How does the reality of death affect you? Is it a subject to avoid? A matter-of-fact reality? Can a person really prepare for the unknown? Is awareness a potential blessing or a curse?