Same as it ever was is not the problem. It's the clue. The water was always flowing underground. The current doesn't need you to be the best solver of problems. It needs you to recognize what you are.
You are really seeing what is happening and not shying away from it. Thank you for staying in front of the unknown and not running away from it. The shift it is going to be hard, it is hard already for many people losing their jobs, but in the after... I don't know. I can see light, I can see a new mode of being, real revolution for the best. Maybe I am naive.
Appreciate that you tried man. Really, you made a difference; don't count yourself out until you're out. I hope things get better, but even more-so, not stuck; the potential for worse states is presently unimaginable. As long as we keep moving, come what may.
I can deal with weird; I enjoy the mind-bending, I'm ultra flexible and complete loss of paradigm sounds like a wild trip. Let the infinite strangeness come, let the long history of unconscious human informatic eddies entrained into dense matrices work their way into my unconscious until I don't know who I am. We're already always hallucinating an ego anyways, from what I can tell. Break physics and discover spectral realities, fine. Become a psychic soldier on some strange battlefield; alright, if I must.
What concerns me is that we end up doing something *really* stupid that leaves us looping forever in a much more mundane reality, where all opportunity to even seek meaning is lost. No ways to create our own happiness, no peace in meditation, no peace in letting go, immortally revived with nothing new, ever. That's seriously terrifying.
I lean in the direction that we'll have a damn hard time and many of us won't survive, but humanity will make it out the other side in some radically different form. God help us if we screw this one up..
I'm optimistic, and fucking terrified, lol! We're not just letting it happen, we're running towards a cliff at full speed, with no parachute and why? Cause if we don't win the AI race and potentially destroy ourselves some other country will do it for us. Gen X had the best childhood, amd we may very well have the worst times as a senior if we make it that far. As a full time trad artist, it's like the rugg was instantly pulled out from underneath me, and I'm literally having to start over from scratch at 53. At the same time, the gate keeping is over. 50/50 we end up with Terminator or Star Trek, and I just want it fing over with already regardless which one we get...
Dave, once again, you put the perfect words to describe exactly how I feel. Balancing that last push for future impact with the relational “now” requiring emotional connection with my lovely bubble family is really hard
“All we can do is to hold on tight and do our best to steer.” The AI winds are blowing and we can feel the billowing sails. Agree with you that the changes will rearrange us and I can feel it.
The fear of being outcompeted cognitively only makes sense if cognitive output was ever a decent measure of human worth. And it wasn’t, long before AI showed up. Industrialism built that metric, AI just broke it open.
Isn't this a Hume guillotine? "Homo sapiens" describes how we evolved, not what makes us worth something. You can't get from "this is how we evolved" to "this is what makes us valuable".
This is at best a strawman of what I wrote. It's about identity, not economic value. I've built my career and my life around being a problem-solver. But I am being surpassed by machines.
Thank you for sharing! I’m sorry you’re feeling such distress. Looking forward to reading more sanguine pieces. One thing giving me hope is the work of Marion Woodman. She teaches about personal transformation and psychological development. Through a Marion Woodman lens, I see how this AI wave highlights the imbalance of culture dominated by the “masculine” qualities of control, efficiency, and rationality. As technology surpasses humans in those domains, the qualities associated with the neglected feminine (embodiment, healing, nurturing, feeling, relationship, and meaning) become more essential. That’s a future worth living for now!
Isn’t it possible that friction from legacy systems will meaningfully delay this transition? Not a perfect analogy, but like Russia vs Ukraine, or the US vs Iran, an outcome that (on paper) looks quick and inevitable, gives way to asymmetric, drawn out warfare against the invading power. For better or worse, we humans - both institutionally and individually - cling desperately to the status quo. I’m not suggesting that the impact of the coming changes will be anything short of seismic, or that your predictions are wrong. Just that the timeline may be a bit more drawn out than seems apparent.
Or, we are already in the simulation, in which case, never mind.
I appreciate that you're willing to update on things and share what you're thinking and feeling. I feel like idealism and optimism are often great for progress, but they can also be bury-your-head-in-the-sand toxic (see onset of Covid)... and there's some of that going on here with AI, e/acc, etc. It's people trying to manifest utopia instead of resolutely facing reality and then saying, "What does this mean?" "What's next?" "What options do we have?" instead of skipping straight to yolo we'll figure it out or Star Trek here we come. To me, that kind of leap in logic is as childish as are misplaced fears. Some fears are well placed, and we should acknowledge them to better see the map and territory and maybe find a way. Super appreciate your work on Labor Zero.
The following is an AI summary of my rambling response.
Core Synopsis
The central challenge is to navigate the overwhelming force of technological acceleration without losing a sense of human purpose. A guided meditation frames this as a walk along a trail, bordered by the chasms of "fear" on one side and "desire" on the other. The goal is to stay on the path toward a "happy place"—a state where technology serves human-centric pursuits like art, music, and craftsmanship, rather than defining our value through financial achievement. The current definition of meaning through career and monetary success is identified as the root of anxiety. A core philosophical error is the belief that "things must get worse before they get better," a toxic narrative that justifies suffering. This is contrasted with a proactive philosophy of making the most of the present, rejecting the idea that pain is a prerequisite for growth or great art.
The Philosophical Framework for Navigating Disruption
1. The Central Metaphor: The Trail and the Chasms
The current psychological state is framed as a journey on a narrow trail leading to a "happy place."
- The Trail: Represents the path of staying focused and balanced amidst disruptive forces. It is wide enough for safe passage.
- The Chasms: Flanking the trail are two fatal drop-offs:
- Fear: One chasm represents anxieties about the future, change, and obsolescence.
- Desire: The other chasm represents unchecked ambition, a relentless pull towards more, which can also lead to a fall.
- The Objective: The primary goal is to maintain focus on the trail itself and the destination—the happy place—without being pulled into either chasm by the "vertigo" of these powerful forces.
2. Redefining "The Happy Place" in a Post-Labor World
The "happy place" at the end of the trail is a vision of a future where technology liberates humanity to pursue intrinsic value, decoupling purpose from financial achievement.
- Current State: Meaning and purpose are primarily defined by "achieving," which is measured almost exclusively in financial terms. This has led to a focus on STEM fields at the expense of the arts and humanities.
- Future Vision: A world where AI and robotics handle the necessary labor, allowing individuals to pursue activities for their own sake: blacksmithing, cheesemaking, music, art, dance, or gardening. It is a return to craftsmanship, community, and creative expression as the primary sources of meaning.
3. A Dialectical Analysis of Suffering as a Narrative
A critical analysis is presented on the philosophy of suffering as a necessary precursor to growth or improvement.
- Thesis (The Toxic Narrative): "It must get worse before it gets better." This belief is common in various philosophies and is identified as counterproductive. It justifies inaction, encourages the "bad" conditions, and frames pain as a necessary catalyst for growth and great art. A world built on this philosophy is the antithesis of the "happy place."
- Antithesis (The Positive Philosophy): "Today is great; let's make the most of it." This alternative proposes focusing on maximizing the value of the present and extending that effort as far into the future as possible. It is a proactive, positive stance that rejects the glorification of suffering.
- Synthesis (The Verdict): The narrative that growth requires pain is a toxic and self-fulfilling prophecy. A more productive and healthy philosophy is to build a positive present rather than enduring a negative one in the hope of a better future.
Great writeup. We need more people discussing the emotional and psychological aspect to all of this. I read this and undersatnd more why some of the folks at the frontier labs resign and go live in the woods or write poetry or whatever.
The quantification of the 'infinitude' of artistic expression was actually very reassuring.
My only hope is to be able to capitalize on the delta between the capability frontier and mainstream adoption so I can “make it” before I become part of the permanent underclass.
Same as it ever was is not the problem. It's the clue. The water was always flowing underground. The current doesn't need you to be the best solver of problems. It needs you to recognize what you are.
You are really seeing what is happening and not shying away from it. Thank you for staying in front of the unknown and not running away from it. The shift it is going to be hard, it is hard already for many people losing their jobs, but in the after... I don't know. I can see light, I can see a new mode of being, real revolution for the best. Maybe I am naive.
Appreciate that you tried man. Really, you made a difference; don't count yourself out until you're out. I hope things get better, but even more-so, not stuck; the potential for worse states is presently unimaginable. As long as we keep moving, come what may.
I can deal with weird; I enjoy the mind-bending, I'm ultra flexible and complete loss of paradigm sounds like a wild trip. Let the infinite strangeness come, let the long history of unconscious human informatic eddies entrained into dense matrices work their way into my unconscious until I don't know who I am. We're already always hallucinating an ego anyways, from what I can tell. Break physics and discover spectral realities, fine. Become a psychic soldier on some strange battlefield; alright, if I must.
What concerns me is that we end up doing something *really* stupid that leaves us looping forever in a much more mundane reality, where all opportunity to even seek meaning is lost. No ways to create our own happiness, no peace in meditation, no peace in letting go, immortally revived with nothing new, ever. That's seriously terrifying.
I lean in the direction that we'll have a damn hard time and many of us won't survive, but humanity will make it out the other side in some radically different form. God help us if we screw this one up..
I'm optimistic, and fucking terrified, lol! We're not just letting it happen, we're running towards a cliff at full speed, with no parachute and why? Cause if we don't win the AI race and potentially destroy ourselves some other country will do it for us. Gen X had the best childhood, amd we may very well have the worst times as a senior if we make it that far. As a full time trad artist, it's like the rugg was instantly pulled out from underneath me, and I'm literally having to start over from scratch at 53. At the same time, the gate keeping is over. 50/50 we end up with Terminator or Star Trek, and I just want it fing over with already regardless which one we get...
Dave, once again, you put the perfect words to describe exactly how I feel. Balancing that last push for future impact with the relational “now” requiring emotional connection with my lovely bubble family is really hard
“All we can do is to hold on tight and do our best to steer.” The AI winds are blowing and we can feel the billowing sails. Agree with you that the changes will rearrange us and I can feel it.
Hard relate to a lot of this - though sometimes from difference stance, data, and sense of the future.
But the phenomenology of this - and the “ah, it’s now” release/anxiety vibes - resonate.
The fear of being outcompeted cognitively only makes sense if cognitive output was ever a decent measure of human worth. And it wasn’t, long before AI showed up. Industrialism built that metric, AI just broke it open.
Sorry, but this is kinda dumb. We are literally "homo sapiens" - our problem solving ability literally defines our species.
Isn't this a Hume guillotine? "Homo sapiens" describes how we evolved, not what makes us worth something. You can't get from "this is how we evolved" to "this is what makes us valuable".
Excellent analysis, tut there is a critical mistake hidden inside this argument, and it’s important.
It assumes that human intellectual value = problem-solving capacity.
That assumption has been true for the industrial knowledge economy.
It will not be true in the relational intelligence era.
This is at best a strawman of what I wrote. It's about identity, not economic value. I've built my career and my life around being a problem-solver. But I am being surpassed by machines.
Thank you for sharing! I’m sorry you’re feeling such distress. Looking forward to reading more sanguine pieces. One thing giving me hope is the work of Marion Woodman. She teaches about personal transformation and psychological development. Through a Marion Woodman lens, I see how this AI wave highlights the imbalance of culture dominated by the “masculine” qualities of control, efficiency, and rationality. As technology surpasses humans in those domains, the qualities associated with the neglected feminine (embodiment, healing, nurturing, feeling, relationship, and meaning) become more essential. That’s a future worth living for now!
Isn’t it possible that friction from legacy systems will meaningfully delay this transition? Not a perfect analogy, but like Russia vs Ukraine, or the US vs Iran, an outcome that (on paper) looks quick and inevitable, gives way to asymmetric, drawn out warfare against the invading power. For better or worse, we humans - both institutionally and individually - cling desperately to the status quo. I’m not suggesting that the impact of the coming changes will be anything short of seismic, or that your predictions are wrong. Just that the timeline may be a bit more drawn out than seems apparent.
Or, we are already in the simulation, in which case, never mind.
I appreciate that you're willing to update on things and share what you're thinking and feeling. I feel like idealism and optimism are often great for progress, but they can also be bury-your-head-in-the-sand toxic (see onset of Covid)... and there's some of that going on here with AI, e/acc, etc. It's people trying to manifest utopia instead of resolutely facing reality and then saying, "What does this mean?" "What's next?" "What options do we have?" instead of skipping straight to yolo we'll figure it out or Star Trek here we come. To me, that kind of leap in logic is as childish as are misplaced fears. Some fears are well placed, and we should acknowledge them to better see the map and territory and maybe find a way. Super appreciate your work on Labor Zero.
The following is an AI summary of my rambling response.
Core Synopsis
The central challenge is to navigate the overwhelming force of technological acceleration without losing a sense of human purpose. A guided meditation frames this as a walk along a trail, bordered by the chasms of "fear" on one side and "desire" on the other. The goal is to stay on the path toward a "happy place"—a state where technology serves human-centric pursuits like art, music, and craftsmanship, rather than defining our value through financial achievement. The current definition of meaning through career and monetary success is identified as the root of anxiety. A core philosophical error is the belief that "things must get worse before they get better," a toxic narrative that justifies suffering. This is contrasted with a proactive philosophy of making the most of the present, rejecting the idea that pain is a prerequisite for growth or great art.
The Philosophical Framework for Navigating Disruption
1. The Central Metaphor: The Trail and the Chasms
The current psychological state is framed as a journey on a narrow trail leading to a "happy place."
- The Trail: Represents the path of staying focused and balanced amidst disruptive forces. It is wide enough for safe passage.
- The Chasms: Flanking the trail are two fatal drop-offs:
- Fear: One chasm represents anxieties about the future, change, and obsolescence.
- Desire: The other chasm represents unchecked ambition, a relentless pull towards more, which can also lead to a fall.
- The Objective: The primary goal is to maintain focus on the trail itself and the destination—the happy place—without being pulled into either chasm by the "vertigo" of these powerful forces.
2. Redefining "The Happy Place" in a Post-Labor World
The "happy place" at the end of the trail is a vision of a future where technology liberates humanity to pursue intrinsic value, decoupling purpose from financial achievement.
- Current State: Meaning and purpose are primarily defined by "achieving," which is measured almost exclusively in financial terms. This has led to a focus on STEM fields at the expense of the arts and humanities.
- Future Vision: A world where AI and robotics handle the necessary labor, allowing individuals to pursue activities for their own sake: blacksmithing, cheesemaking, music, art, dance, or gardening. It is a return to craftsmanship, community, and creative expression as the primary sources of meaning.
3. A Dialectical Analysis of Suffering as a Narrative
A critical analysis is presented on the philosophy of suffering as a necessary precursor to growth or improvement.
- Thesis (The Toxic Narrative): "It must get worse before it gets better." This belief is common in various philosophies and is identified as counterproductive. It justifies inaction, encourages the "bad" conditions, and frames pain as a necessary catalyst for growth and great art. A world built on this philosophy is the antithesis of the "happy place."
- Antithesis (The Positive Philosophy): "Today is great; let's make the most of it." This alternative proposes focusing on maximizing the value of the present and extending that effort as far into the future as possible. It is a proactive, positive stance that rejects the glorification of suffering.
- Synthesis (The Verdict): The narrative that growth requires pain is a toxic and self-fulfilling prophecy. A more productive and healthy philosophy is to build a positive present rather than enduring a negative one in the hope of a better future.
Lacuna Matata, David.
Once you accept you’re just part of the grand process of individuation, the only move left is presence.
The gaps aren’t the threat — they’re the invitation.
No worries for the rest of your days!
Did you mean to use "lacuna" which means "empty" in Italian? I think you meant "Hakuna" Matata.
Ya the cognitive lacuna you talk about. Is it lacunae or lacuna?
The idea is that this thing we are a part of and experiencing is filling its own gaps through us.
It’s like we are puzzle pieces in a puzzle that has the outer frame pieces connected.
What’s the point of worrying about what might go in the empty spaces when only one piece can go in there?
There's a calm surrender to the rush of day
When the heat of the rolling world can be turned away
An enchanted moment, and it sees me through
It's enough for this restless warrior just to be with you
And can you feel the love tonight?
It is where we are
It's enough for this wide-eyed wanderer
That we got this far
And can you feel the love tonight?
How it's laid to rest
It's enough to make kings and vagabonds
Believe the very best
There's a time for everyone if they only learn
That the twisting kaleidoscope moves us all in turn
There's a rhyme and reason to the wild outdoors
When the heart of this star-crossed voyager beats in time with yours
Great writeup. We need more people discussing the emotional and psychological aspect to all of this. I read this and undersatnd more why some of the folks at the frontier labs resign and go live in the woods or write poetry or whatever.
The quantification of the 'infinitude' of artistic expression was actually very reassuring.
My only hope is to be able to capitalize on the delta between the capability frontier and mainstream adoption so I can “make it” before I become part of the permanent underclass.