I find myself reflecting on the eternal push-pull of our world. Are we (however subtly) pushing towards a more automated world, in the (likely vain) hope that it will lighten our burdens... or are we being pulled into this world of automation as the only way forward — a sort of spiritual capitulation and quiet resignation to the fact that we have little other choice?

Well... "little other choice" IF we want to stay authentic and true to ourselves.

Like you, I choose to walk away. Not because I have fear of the option, but because I disagree with it. I don't want to become just another "pod person."

Does that mean we are "doomed" to become eternal fringe dwellers, @jaynie? I don't have the answer to that. Does it means we're actually some kind of entitled little twats because we believe WE get to set the terms for our lives, rather than just walking with the times, as they are being presented to us? Or should we just file it under "Gen X problems?" We've always had to find our own way... humanity's eternal latchkey children...

Of course I still walk on the beach, and I still have my same child-like joy and enthusiasm at finding anything unusual out there... these days, it's mostly flat stones that I paint and occasionally a bit of weathered driftwood that nature has somehow shaped into something that looks like an animal or bird if you use your imagination.

Maybe that's part of what bugs me about AI... it feels like it is "stealing" the creative imagination of humanity. Pieces of code are always... cold... and they will always be that.

P.S.: Thank you for being awesome!
xo