Nothing New to Report

How’s that for an enticing headline – I have nothing new for you, so don’t bother. My come-on needs a little work. It’s older than the biblical mourning of Ecclesiastes, “What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.” Still, we experience all things anew. Repetition is the destiny of mankind, is it not?

Santayana’s 1905 musing “those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it,” even along with our technical and theoretical accomplishments, does not provide us any new tools. Our brains are still the same old ancient forgings they have always been. Reptilian brain, fight or flight impulses, emotionally driven responses to daily life – no new tools exist to help us traverse the chasm and move beyond our base desires or our need to re-experience, re-live and re-learn.

“You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink.” We can’t be told by others who already know what fortune awaits us when we do certain things. For some reason, we all must experience the challenges and failures for ourselves. With all this baggage, how do we progress into a more reasoned, intellectually rational being?

By now, you’re probably wondering ‘what is this old man on about?’ Not sure, really. Just rambling until a real thought appears. But, whatever it is we can be rest assured it will be nothing new. I’m not an Einstein, only a brief moment in time. And that’s a drag, isn’t it? ‘Cause living longer would be a great thing, right? Wouldn’t it?

Or would we simply make it more of the same old thing, repeating our same mistakes 42 times instead of 32 times. Despite all our increased knowing, our improving technologies and our advanced theoretical understanding, how are we better as a species? We certainly don’t treat each other better. We have no more self-control over exercising new technologies than we ever have. Ah, but now we have artificial intelligence (AI) to help steer us down the right paths, to do more of the right thing. Oh, but will that really work? Who is tending the driver? Who is teaching the driver? What is the driver learning and how is it being taught? Now those are scary thoughts, especially when you realistically assess our own very limited capabilities at control, and rational, moral thinking.

Now, I don’t consider myself a luddite, but I am more than a little concerned about us plunging headlong into AI without seriously thinking about its full consequences. But I’m pretty sure this is going to get ugly. It feels a lot like the discovery of nuclear energy. It’s introduced an existential threat but hasn’t really done much for humanity in the short-term (the last hundred years, anyway). And we can’t put the genie back in the bottle. Someone won’t be able to resist the dark side of pandora’s box, that’s just the way it is.

It’s been man’s foible to be more able, more inclined to find evil, destructive uses for new technology than constructive, redeeming ones. It’s always been easier to destroy things than to build them, and we are an inherently lazy species. Give us an opportunity to discover the lowest common denominator and we will find it.

Sorry if this is an old man’s jaded, cynical observations. But look at the internet. Begun as an information highway for the educated and enlightened, it quickly devolved into a gossip dominated, rumor filled, super streaming freeway of misinformation; an emotional, irrational platform for lies, deceit and cowards. Anybody who can hunt and peck on a keyboard can post bullshit as fact. There’s nothing but a failing moral imperative to make people adhere to honesty and integrity.

Not even the Fourth Estate seems capable of accurate reporting or, at least, simply conveying factual accounts. Mark Twain supposedly said, “If you don’t read the newspaper you’re uninformed. If you do read it you’re misinformed.” Denzel Washington is said to have made the same remark. I’m afraid no matter who said it when, I subscribe to both its frustration and intent to enlighten. In my experience with the press, they are exceedingly ignorant of what they write about. So, whatever is written needs to be taken with a grain of salt. I had an eighth-grade science teacher who once said something that stuck with me, “Believe none of what you hear, some of what you read, and half of what you see.”

Am I discouraged about all this? Yes, constantly. Do I think it will change? Probably not. I remain hopeful, however, those with more than a mere grain of common sense will one day rule the roost again. As it is today, we are being led by a cadre of narcissistic cowards who can find no redeeming value in the pursuit of common ground and compromise, in working for the best interest of the majority, not the best interest of the special interests. Special interest is by its nature a small minority. What happened to doing what is best for the whole, for those who do the most to contribute to its success?

As each day passes, I gain more and more respect, more adulation, for the courage and wisdom of our Founding Fathers. No one can convince me they were not great thinkers dedicated to the common good.

I make no apology for being rational, for wanting for everyone the dignity and pride of earning what they have, and keeping what they earn. Giving handouts to those with their hands out does nothing to motivate them to change, to improve, to confront their demons, to contribute something for the betterment of all of us. As George Bernard Shaw said, “This is the true joy in life, being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one. Being a force of nature instead of a feverish, selfish little clod of ailments and grievances, complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy.” Having institutions that promote a successful environment for those who need help to attain that success is what we should be after. Enabling bad, destructive, narcissistic behaviors is not the way.

Am I dreaming? Perhaps, but I think it’s possible. But then, that might require some new thinking. As Voltaire noted, “Common sense is not so common.” And so, I leave you with nothing new to report.