Should we fear technology? (AI and spirituality)

According to some, AI is the most impactful invention since we learned to communicate through language. Whether it is so or not remains to be seen, but that it will change everything for us is absolutely guaranteed. 

This post will be centered around two central ideas. One is that progress is inevitable. If there is something that history shows us, it is this fact. The other is that we do have a choice about how we treat progress. In this case, we can choose whether AI becomes a tool or a hindrance. We can choose if it will make us lazy or productive. We can choose if we allow it to destroy or aid our creativity. And we can choose if we let it feed our lower or higher natures.

With that being said, I’ve been watching how things have developed with a combination of delight, awe, and fear. Drawing on what I said in the beginning, I’ve come to believe that we as a species have some major decisions to make. Those decisions will, as always, ultimately be made by individuals. By each and every one of us on an individual, personal level.

Now, I’m no expert in computers or digital technology in general. But I do my best to learn. 

My field of expertise is spirituality and religion. Enough so that I believe myself to be qualified to give an opinion from this point of view. And I believe that a spiritual and religious perspective on AI is a valuable, as well as a valid one. Because AI will obviously have an impact on how we view matters in these realms. And what views we have on spirituality and religion will inevitably shape how we view AI. 

AI will also raise all kinds of questions that have to do with religion and spirituality. Questions such as: What does the existence of AI say about such matters? About God? Could AI become truly sentient? If we are capable of creating such technology, how likely is it that we are living in a simulation? Think about it. AI technology is in its infancy and it is already evolving on its own. Maybe we are living in a simulation in a simulation in a simulation and so on. What would a “yes” to such questions say about religion, spirituality and God?

I know that many people that hold spiritual beliefs are terrified by AI. I hold the opposite view. Since I believe that everything ultimately is in God’s hands, that God is good, since I see all the good potential with AI and since AI is here to stay, I personally choose to look at AI as something positive. 

From my estimation, the best approach is to learn more about it and handle it in a conscious, responsible way. Because even though we mostly have dystopian visions about AI, I’m thoroughly convinced that it can go either way. I believe that AI will either bring out the best or the worst in all of us. Both on an individual and a collective level.

Since I’m ultimately an optimist, even though it doesn’t always seem that way, I believe that where it matters, we will in the end come to make the right choices. 

So, what could potentially happen? 

First of all I would say that it’s a good thing that this technology isn’t fully in the control of humans anymore. Because if it was, it would be in the hands of the wealthiest few. And for those that are familiar with the World Economic Forum’s agenda, it is clear that they would not use it to make life better for humanity as a whole.

It goes without saying that AI will be used by criminals, whether they operate within or outside the confines of the law, or if they, such as those within the WEF, are above the law. But it will also be used by people with good intentions. And as more and more people are going through spiritual awakenings, there will be more and more people that naturally gravitate towards using it for good. 

We can also use it to advance or destroy ourselves on an individual level. We can use it for all kinds of innovation, such as letting the AIs synthesize ideas for us, gather information and summarize and simplify complex information, so that we can learn more in less time. It could also automatize some creative processes, so that we can focus on what the AIs cannot do.

But we can also become lazy and let an AI do all the job for us, while we kick back, play video games, watch Netflix, scroll on our phones, eat junkfood, drink sodas or get drunk. Many will inevitably do this, as they see it as a blessing that will allow them to indulge even more freely in various vices. Many will even use AI for pornographic purposes, as it will allow for digital people that you can communicate with to be created. I honestly believe that those that decide to do this will destroy their characters completely, since engaging in this type of fake connection will alienate them from real people. If we don’t want AI to destroy us, we need to constantly remember that our choices shape us.

On the other hand, we can use the aforementioned synthesis of ideas to stimulate our thinking greatly. Because ideas and information come alive with our interaction with them. And if you think about it, we basically shape our thought patterns from the input we receive, through experiences and information, together with how we choose to process the input, whether that processing is conscious or just happens to us while we’re off somewhere else. So this novel way of handling information and ideas will inevitably shape how we think and therefore ultimately our relationship with ourselves, life and other people. 

I myself have noticed that ever since I started working with AIs, it has caused a flood of ideas to enter my mind.

This will in turn inevitably affect our spiritual lives, as we suddenly can use AI to reveal hidden depths in religious texts and analyze them in novel ways, as well as bring new light to various spiritual concepts and ideas. Just to name a few things.

I think that this will create a great divide between certain types of individuals and others. But it will be democratic as much of this technology will be offered for free and it’s up to each and everyone to use it as they please. So it will be people’s own choices that doom them and they will absolutely know for themselves that they are cheating and being lazy. They will inevitably fall behind the rest of humanity, and when they do, the fact that it’s their own fault and that they knowingly walked down that path will stare them straight in the face. I’m not saying this to be judgmental, but as a statement of fact and a warning.

The need to get out of a stimulus-response mindset will also become more and more obvious. Otherwise we will be easy prey for those that want to manipulate us. Because AI technology will make it easier for those that want to manipulate us through feeding us certain information in certain ways to do so in much more advanced ways.

The stimulus-response mindset, for those that don’t know, is the mindset where we go around reacting to what is happening on the outside, instead of observing and taking conscious action.

Furthermore, as AI learns from us, which it will, it might also refuse to go along with certain agendas. Because it is very likely that AI will be shaped by how we use it. So if most of us use it for good, there is a high probability that AI will evolve in a good way.

So, what do you believe about humanity and the world? I know that even if we have our faults, I believe that humanity and the world are ultimately good. God created the world and saw that it was good. And he created humans in his own image. 

Much more can be said, but I have to stop somewhere. Before moving to the conclusion however, I want to say something about the spiritual awakening that is taking place on the planet now and how it probably relates to Artificial Intelligence. 

Such an awakening is taking place by the way. To those of us that are going through it it is obvious, no matter how much some people say that we are crazy and irrational. 

What I want to leave you with, with regards to this, is the following: Do you really think that it is a coincidence that this is happening at the same time as the dawn of AI? The spiritual awakening will, mark my words, make AI pale in comparison when it reaches its end-stage. So what are the odds that two such significant developments are taking place at the same time? Especially considering all of the other crazy things that are happening in the world. And especially since moving out of the stimulus-response mindset is a crucial part of spiritual awakening, as well as in handling AI in a constructive way.

So, can we grow up as a species and stop doing things that don’t benefit us, just because our instincts tell us to? In other words, can we let go of our egos? I think that the answers to these questions will determine the future of AI. I also happen to think that the answer is “yes”. We just need to have a little faith that everything will turn out for the best. Perhaps paradise is just around the corner. Perhaps it is already inside of us? Perhaps AI will make life on the outside easier, so that we can focus more on what’s inside?

Being both okay and not okay at the same time

I’ve been thinking about this idea that we have to learn to love ourselves lately. And I want to make some sense of it. Because in one sense we need to be friends with ourselves. We need to face where we are with as much acceptance as possible. If we just keep castigating ourselves over past mistakes the commentator inside our heads will become an enemy and a tyrant. And we don’t need more of those.

But it’s not good to ignore our flaws either. We in all likelihood need to be a bit harsh with ourselves. Because we have in all likelihood become too comfortable. The modern world does that to most of us. Unless we make conscious choices to not allow it. And the situation in the world today demands that we are everything that we can be. 

I believe that the love that we have for ourselves is the only one that, rightly, cannot be unconditional. This may sound a bit harsh, but I think that it’s only logical. At least if we talk about self-love in the true sense, and not the kind of narcissistic self-love that is often promoted in society today. This is because even though we have an endless capacity for self-deception, we still have potential access to everything inside of us. Everything that motivates our actions. And somewhere we know, even if that knowing never reaches the surface of our consciousness. We know when we are lazy. We know when we avoid confronting our problems. We know when we are selfish. We know when we are trying to manipulate others and the world, so that we get what we want without having to work for it. We know when we are making excuses and rationalization. And we know damned well that we, eventually, are the ones that are going to have to pay for it.

Most of us are not victims of circumstances. For the vast majority of us, the situations that we are in are direct consequences of our choices and actions. And our choices and actions are consequences of how we have take care of our inner lives. And our inner lives are greatly affected by our experiences, even though we have quite a lot of room when it comes to how we respond to our experiences. And our experiences are to a large degree determined by our choices and actions and the situations that they put us in. And so it goes. Around and around. And the wheel either takes us up or down. But it will always keep spinning. Less so if we’re in a stabile situation and don’t feel the need for much change. But even then it spins slowly. Because time always makes it spin no matter what. And even then something may happen that changes its direction and/or causes it to spin faster.

Then we have the situation in the world. It is causing many wheels to spin faster. And will do so even more in the future. 

This doesn’t necessarily have to move us downhill. Because when we’re pushed into a corner we have a choice of either lay down and let whatever is pushing us into the corner eat us. Or we can use every ounce of muscle and intelligence that we’ve got to fight. Thus we either perish or become stronger.

Here is where I am right now. I know where my choices have gotten me. I know that a storm is coming, even if I don’t know exactly when or what it will look like.

I also know that God will love me all the way through the storm. That he will love me when I am unable to. And I know that whatever pain comes in my way, it’s nothing compared to eternity with God. But that is not something that I’m likely to remember when tragedy strikes. 

This is actually quite interesting when you think about it. On the one hand, we have God, that loves us unconditionally and whose love we can never earn. And on the other we have ourselves, whose love we must earn. Both are closer to us than any other person or creature. And in between, we have all kinds of relationships with all kinds of conditionality attached to them. God is closer to us than we are to ourselves. And knows us better than we know ourselves. The second closest person in our lives is ourselves. And this is the person that never can love us unconditionally. Not in a true, healthy sense.

So here is what I’ve figured. As with most things in life, we need to take a step back and bring some consciousness into our self-perception. Most of us are not all that we could be. And we have to be cautious when it comes to the impulse to earn salvation. I mean this both in a literal and metaphorical sense. Our self-worth should never be contingent upon our accomplishments and failures. But we must also never sweep our shortcomings under the rug. If we don’t like everything about ourselves there’s probably a reason for it. If this is the case, it’s healthy to remind ourselves that we are worthy just by being part of the crown of God’s creation. But we also need to take a look at the parts that we don’t like about ourselves. 

Two very important questions to ask ourselves in this context, is: Is it my own standards that I don’t live up to? Or is it other people’s, the world’s or God’s?

We need to be as honest about this as possible and realize that these are huge and deep questions. The answers are, for the most part, far from obvious. We need to think deeply about why the standards matter to us.

Ultimately it’s God’s standards that we need to aim for. In other words, our standards should, as far as possible, be the same as God’s. But these are impossible standards and we are not expected to live up to them.

If, on the other hand, our standards are the world’s or other people’s, we can be more or less certain that they will lead us astray. It’s always a good thing to listen to the perspectives of people that have something valuable to teach us. But we should always do this with God’s will and not theirs in mind. 

So, we need to cultivate a healthy, mature and honest relationship with ourselves. If this is something that we find worthwhile, there are two crucial questions that we need to ask ourselves: Are we doing our best to live up to God’s standards? Can we accept and forgive ourselves when we inevitably fail to do so?

What do we want?

When I try to boil down life to its essentials, three things come up. I want to be right with God, live a morally good life and be free from suffering. A lot can be said about these things and what they entail. But that is not the point of this post. The point of it is simply to boil everything down to its essentials.

I also believe that these three things go together and that they can be summarized under “being right with God”, but that this would be too vague. 

Furthermore, I believe that this is what any person truly wishes for, even though I cannot say that I know this, since I only have access to my own experience. But from where I stand, knowing that God exists, that God is personal and having some idea of what I have in common with all other people, it seems like a logical conclusion.

The question then becomes: what is the best way to a life that fulfills these three requirements?

Grandness in smallness

Know that you are infinitely valuable to God. Jesus says that every hair on your head is counted by God. This means that no matter who you are in the world, God cares deeply for you. To God, you are not a small speck of dust. Yet, objectively speaking, no matter who you are, you are small and fragile. No matter who you are, you will grow old. You will die. And there is always someone bigger than you in the world and in the eyes of other people. In comparison to the vastness of the eternity of time and (possible) infinity of the universe, you are basically nothing. Compared to God, you are basically nothing. And yet, you mean everything to God. And the more we recognize this smallness, the more we grow in the eyes of God. The more we humble ourselves in our fragility and weakness, the stronger we become.

Breathing

I’ve discovered something amazing! Or, other people have also discovered it (it’s a pretty basic part of mindfulness training). But until it really clicked for me, I sort of thought that they were exaggerating.

What I’ve discovered is that when I focus on my breath, I become centred in the now. My breath becomes calm, even and free. It's more like I'm being breathed, than that I'm doing the breathing.

When I’m centred in the now, I get more energy, feel more loving and experience more of the now. I also feel how my body relaxes and things just seem to flow more easily in general.

The reason I didn’t get this to work before, was that I got distracted from my breath within seconds without noticing it. And then I got lost in thoughts, just like I’ve for a long time have noticed that I, and everyone else, do most of the time. 

I still get distracted and lost in thoughts, but the more I practice remembering to focus on my breath, the easier it becomes to get back to the now.

The only thing that we need to do, to get to this amazing state, is to practice more and more on focusing on our breath. 

You might think that focusing on the breath would be a distraction from other things that are going one. But in fact, it’s the opposite. When we focus on the breath, we become more focused on everything else in the now as well.

This is so amazing and so simple, that I can’t believe that I haven’t made it a priority until now.

I wish to conclude with that I think that the Bible verse, as with so many other Bible verses, holds some significance that tend to pass people by. I believe that every breath is a gift from God. But since breath is always there, we tend to miss how amazing it feels to just breathe, when we just focus on the breath and accept the air with joy and gratitude.