Memoir
/ˈmemˌwär/ noun. a record of events written by a person having intimate knowledge of them and based on personal observation. Usually memoirs. an account of one's personal life and experiences; autobiography. the published record of the proceedings of a group or organization, as of a learned society.
First off, how can it possibly be week nine already?
For all of those who’ve been regularly participating in Memoir Monday - keep going, you’re making great progress in crafting your very own life story for future generations to enjoy. I hope you've been getting some value out of it too.
For those who missed the initial post explaining what the Memoir Monday initiative is all about you can find it here.
Next week’s Memoir Monday question:
What Do You Worry About?
My answer:
I’m finding I worry a little more the older I get. When I was younger I was mainly focused on my personal and professional goals (and survival) that I was very much distracted from the larger issues.
As I’m living through my fifties I find myself worrying about how divided and extreme the world is getting. I also worry that the media is getting so sophisticated and weaponized that, very soon, many won’t even know what the truth is. I watch our twenty-four hour news cycle differently now, not so much for the news stories themselves but for the underlying reasons and agendas behind the stories being presented.
I always ask myself, why stories are spun this way or that? Why did they tell that lie or those half-truths?
It’s terrifying how much disinformation is out there now, even by once highly respected media outlets. There once was a moral code that ran through the core of journalism. Journalists used to be like free agents, trying to present the truth in an unbiased way. Now journalists seem conscious (or subconsciously) beholden to present the news however their employers want them to for the sake of their livelihoods. These news organizations are now monopolies, huge corporate conglomerates that are forwarding their own agendas and those of their constituents.
“Americans no longer talk to each other, they entertain each other. They do not exchange ideas, they exchange images. They do not argue with propositions; they argue with good looks, celebrities and commercials.” ― Neil Postman, Amusing Ourselves to Death
Modern media (social/mainstream) can adeptly capture the minds of millions. Today, the media can mobilize entire groups of people to protest, to hate, to vote, to support certain causes, and to fight without the people who are consuming the media even having a deep understanding of why. These tools and methods will only become more honed as artificial intelligence continues to evolve.
The only solution I see is for people to unplug, educate themselves, learn to think critically, and pause to take the time to form their own opinions. Artificial intelligence, I believe, will also be able to be used for good. AI could very well be our only savior at this point.
I see a use case where a trusted AI agent could step in and play the role that the unbiased journalists of past generations used to play-filtering out bias/disinformation in real time on our static screens and in future augmented/virtual reality environments. This will be imperative if we wish to remain free thinking individuals with our personal freedoms intact.
Lately, I find myself thinking a lot about how this all will impact the quality of life of future generations of humans. It will largely depend on the decisions we all make in the next five or so years. It’s one of the largest existential crisis (if not the largest) we’ve ever faced as a species. Social media algorithms, especially, are designed to tap into our most primitive instincts and make us reliant upon them, utterly addicted.
Currently, democracy is withering all around the world, right before our eyes. In a true functional democracy elected officials are meant to work on the behalf of everyone who elects them, not just to the largest donors and corporate interests. There are very few politicians left who are working for the good of the citizens. Corporatism, authoritarianism, and tyranny are rushing into the dark void that democracy is leaving behind.
Will humanity be able to muster the brain power, the will, and the fight to thwart this evil before it’s too late?
As I look back across the history of our species we’ve always risen up and prospered over this kind of evil, eventually. We actually have a decent track record in rising up against this kind of thing. This gives me hope. To do so this time we will have to mobilize very quickly, our window of opportunity is closing faster than many imagine.
I often think back to how much has changed in my lifetime. There are so many wonderful aspects of humanity that there are far more rare now than they once were, things like:
true individuality,
the ability to read subtle social cues,
face-to-face undistracted conversation,
meaningful discussions,
hope of a better tomorrow,
honor,
original creativity,
critical thinking,
humor,
spontaneity,
wit,
deep personal connections,
and basic kindness.
So many of these human attributes aren’t always quantifiable but they make us what we are. It would be such a great loss to see these things become completely extinct.
I hope we have enough collective fight in us to change the direction of how things seem to be heading. It's crucial to know not only what we believe but also why and to be able to explain it in terms simple enough for a child to understand. We’ll have to have and retain our own unique thoughts and convictions. I want future generations of our families to have the pleasure of knowing what these wonderful aspects of humanity feel like and the immeasurable value they add to the quality of our lives.
I can’t help but ask myself, is this how middle-aged people have always felt?
I don’t think this tumultuous age we live in can be compared to any other. The Industrial Revolution replaced muscle power with machines. During the AI Revolution machines will be replacing and surpassing our own human brain power. This is uncharted territory, so much so it’s difficult to prepare for it. We must take great care during this transition to make sure we don’t lose all the other great things that make us human in the process. These are some of the things I worry about but, thankfully, a majority of our worries never come to fruition.
Rules of Engagement
- Please reblog this first post and share on other social platforms so we cast the widest net possible for this initiative;
- Pictures paint a thousand words. Include pictures in your posts if you have them;
- Answer each Memoir Monday prompt question in your own post. Usually, the prompt question will be published the week prior so you'll have the plenty of time to answer and publish your own post;
- Have fun with it, don't worry about getting behind, or jumping into the project at any point after we've begun; and
- Lastly, be sure to include the tag #memoirmonday.
It's that simple.
At the end of the next twelve months we'll have created something immensely valuable together. It's so important to know our "whys" in life and there's no better way to do that than this.
Someday all that will be left of our existence are memories of us, our deeds, and words. It's up to you to leave as rich of a heritage as possible for future generations to learn from. So, go ahead, tell your stories. I can't wait to read them.
Be well and make the most of this day. I want to sincerely thank all of the participants thus far. I've really enjoyed reading your posts!
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Wish I could share your optimism. Where would we find a trusted AI agent? So far, AI tools are nothing but algorithms that can be tweaked endlessly. There's also the question of prompts used by humans. I did a quick experiment just now - I asked ChatGPT to write a short piece about the assassination of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand in 1914, from the point of view of the killer and another one from the point of view of the Austrians.
The first text describes the killer as "a hero who dared to defy the might of kings and emperors", while the second text puts it like this: "Gavrilo Princip, a misguided radical fueled by nationalist fervor, saw fit to extinguish that beacon of peace with a single shot from his pistol."
Were I still a journalist I would upload the version that fitted with my employer's agenda.
Maybe, sometime in the future, we might develop the wise robots Asimov dreamed of, but that's not gonna happen in our lifetime I'm afraid.
Otherwise, yes, AI can be great. I mean the texts were quite good and delivered in 30 seconds. Back in the day, I'd wait for at least an hour to get such a text from one of my colleagues.
It all depends on how you train the AI (so you REALLY have to trust the dev team). The AI has to be fed a huge swath and variety of data and transparency must be built into the algo so teams can see how it's coming to conclusions. It will be a very scary day when the first AI is turned completely loose. There's really no way of knowing what it will do until that genie is out of the bottle. Very interesting about your ChatGPT experience! It's fun to play with. The Grok AI on X (Twitter) is also getting very competent. Tesla is prepping to launch an AI voice assistant in their cars too, that's coming any day now. It's a strange and wonderful new world when it comes to tech, hopefully it doesn't lean too far into the dystopian direction! I see how useful something like ChatGPT could be for a professional journalist. It could produce a pretty good first draft way faster than any human.
A meaningful ful write-up. Beginning with media, once upon a time, it was limited to just one or two channels in television sector, even newspapers were just in countable numbers and no other media, by Almighty's grace to reach the public. But now its a competition among the channels, newspapers and social media as to who will give what news first. No matter if the info is true or not. Now peoples are bold enough to perform any ruthless act jn public.
Secondly, the wonderful aspects of humanity you mentioned is long forgotten. Why peoples, not even the spouses or siblings, under one roof, have time to exchange views or opinions. It is so sad.
Regarding, AI we have to wait and watch.
I actually think we are on the same page. One of the things I am really afraid of actually is the fear of uncertainty of what the future actually holds
You know the funny thing is back in the day people used to ignore the news and that kind of stuff and they would catch a lot of heat for it. People would say how can you not be educated about the world around you, or don't you want to know what is going on in the world. These days, it's almost the opposite. I'm not saying we shouldn't do what we can to change the world, but you are almost better off just minding your own business and living your life. Especially since you never quite know if that global cause you are championing is real or fabricated for some other agenda. I agree with you it is sad that we have gotten to this point.
The pendulum has definitely swung in the opposite direction now. Social media coaxes people into believing they are "experts" in certain things and also encourages them to demonize anyone who has opposing opinions. I do think if we can get an AI trained to sort out the disinformation we'll be better off. How we keep it unbiased is another problem. The immediate future seems really tricky and confusing right now but I think we'll eventually figure all this out. The trouble is people who aren't close to this tech have zero clue what is coming and how deeply it will effect their lives. It's a pretty grand experiment and a lot is riding on it.
Yeah, the tech in general will probably be a barrier. There will likely be people who aren't interested in the tech or can't master it and they will continue down the same path. It will be interesting to see what happens!
It sure will be interesting. Hopefully good prevails. In a way it feels sort of like the years leading up to Y2K. Maybe this will be equally as uneventful.
Let's hope so! By the way, I did some research on RFK Jr. After you and I talked in a comment. His stance on Covid and vaccines in general is going to be a turn off for me. Back to the drawing board. At least I have a couple months. I absolutely respect your right to vote for whoever you want to of course.
I'm glad you checked him out! He's not for everyone. His stance on vaccines will be a sticking point with many. I've noticed recently that he's walked this back a bit, saying now he would support the requirement of proper rigorous testing before rollout. I hope you find a good choice that you're happy with. There's nothing worse than feeling like there are no good options.
That's for sure! I'll actually just not vote that part of the ballot if I can't find a good alternative.
There are many problems in life, one recent problem is that the government here has imposed a tax on solar panels and sun has also been taxed.
So the government taxes you based on the amount of energy the panels capture?
Even after buying solar panels with your own money, the government here is now taxing them too. 20 kW is being installed in PKR
That's really sad. Many cities here in the US ban solar panels altogether or make you feed the energy they capture back into the power grid instead of using it directly.
This will be a good topic for a post this week, my friend. As you rightly say, as we mature, there are other concerns. Climate change, political polarisation, wars, poverty, technological advances, are complex issues that can make our skin crawl. I think these times, in general, have not been easy times to live in. These days I read that a high percentage of people have to look for ‘mechanisms’ to fall asleep. Sleep, more than anything else, is important for physical and mental health. See you. Hugs
It's a crazy world we live in! The chronic insomnia epidemic is a good example of how people are stressed even if they don't realize it. Most of our friends and relatives have problems sleeping. I'm one of the lucky few who don't. I fall asleep within a minute of my head hitting the pillow usually but I do so much physical activity throughout the day that I'm usually ready to drop by bedtime. I hope you have a great weekend my friend!
Time flies so fast my friend as nine weeks under this topic. This makes me worry, we have an unknown limited time and I worry when it is waste for nothing.
Time gathers momentum as we get older!
Right now what I'm worried about is what the world will be like if a nuclear war breaks out. Currently there are several countries at war and it is very possible that one day they will use nuclear power. So when that happens, will the end of the world arrive?
That's a very valid concern, Eliana. It's crazy how nonchalant some people are about this topic. The threat was always there for us in the 1970's during the height of the cold war. It was like a dark cloud that was always there. We can only hope the people in charge of these weapons are mentally stable enough to realize if a single missile is launched it could be the end of humanity.
I worry about whether I can able to reach the same age as you. It seems that it's hard, from the food that I eat, and the economy of the country I lived in.
I'm sorry to hear that! Where are you from?
Philippines, where 1 dollar is equivalent to 57 pesos here.
Here the conditions of our country are so bad, even after working hard day and night, people are not able to earn enough money that they can get married and live a good life within the next time, that's why people are living in trouble. Hey this topic is interesting I will make my own post on it in a day or two.
I'm very sorry to hear that! I hope the situation turns around. What do you think it will take to make things better in your country?
The system of our country could have been corrected by only one person, his name is Imran Khan, but they have put him in jail in the government.
Good morning @ericvancewalton. This week's topic is quite delicate, because as you share with us, today's world shows us a face of gigantic advances, but when we pull back the curtain we see the other side of the coin that tells us of a humanity where the most basic problems have deepened such as: hunger, unemployment, impunity, environmental risk and many others.
Should we be concerned? Whether we want to or not, everything splashes us, turning our faces away from it is not possible; however, we know that we must set limits because otherwise our overall health suffers.
I am moved by the subject. I will prepare my entry. Happy weekend.
You're so right! The world is very polarized and unbalanced at present. I think it tends to be this way during times of great transition. I can't wait to read your entry! Thank you.
Cannot help but agree with you, when was the last time we sat around a table simply debating and issue, chatting face to face or cajoling to get a rise out of a person knowing it will happen.
This era has split people more than ever before, it is a major concern.
@tipu curate
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It used to be fun to trade ideas and debate! Now you have to make sure and either have boxing gloves or a weapon close at hand if you debate anyone about anything. Lol.
Sadly the truth spoken here, have to watch what you say all the time, no wonder the youth are so totally confused!
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Hello dear friend @ericvancewalton good afternoon
I loved this question and the things that concern you,
It will be a very interesting topic to develop.
have a lovely afternoon
My entry for week 9 memoirmonday.
https://ecency.com/hive-126152/@edith-4angelseu/i-often-forget-he-s
I just discovered this engagement. It a good thing to engage with. I love reflecting on real life issues. I hope to be a part this week. Thank you for this awesome opportunity.
https://ecency.com/hive-109288/@tranquil3/i-worry-about-my-responsibilities
What you mention about the media is really worrying. In my youth to know if a fact was true it was enough to go to the newspaper, now we live the paradox that there is more information but it is very difficult to know what is true.
I am not as hopeful about AI as you are. AI is nourished by the same information that is on the WEB. By taking this information it reproduces the same bias patterns that discriminate against certain minorities. I don't know if this can be changed.
Thanks for the call, dear @ericvancewalton . A big hug from Maracay.
Translated with DeepL.com (free version)
My entry;
https://ecency.com/hive-161155/@jemima2001/worries-it-does-no-good
https://ecency.com/hive-167922/@uyoho/the-worries-of-a-nigerian-girl-memoirmonday-challenge-week-9
https://ecency.com/hive-126152/@mfontom/my-family-my-worry-memoirmonday
https://ecency.com/hive-126152/@sisjane/faced-with-the-uncertainty-of
https://ecency.com/hive-165757/@christybliss/the-worries-of-a-mother