I Wrote a Sonnet
A couple of weeks ago was Valentine’s Day. I am not a great gift giver and struggle every year to think of something worthy of presenting to my wife. I don’t recall exactly what I did last year, but I’m pretty sure I enlisted AI’s services to help me with it.
This year I wanted to give her something truly special. Don’t get me wrong, I try to do this every year and for every gift that I give. But I’ve just become too reliant on artificial creativity to do the challenging part for me. I didn’t want to do that again.
Use It or Lose It
We all need to use our brains more or we’ll lose them. I keep reading about people’s need for a “second brain”. I keep seeing the effects of memory loss and mental slowness in myself and in others. Our brains are losing their fitness. They must be exercised!
This past year I went back to school. I felt prompted to do so. With that prompting came a push to study something completely outside the fields of my last two degrees. At the time I wasn’t sure why I needed to do this—and honestly I still don’t completely know, but I believe part of the reason is so I can exercise my mind and try to restore it to fitness. It’s important to think and use our minds regularly.
Cut the Cord
So, it’s time to cut the umbilical cord between us and our devices. It’s time to sit and be bored from time to time. It’s time to relearn how to explore our own minds. It’s time to read a good book. It’s time to turn off the noise.
Because not all problems are solved with AI. We’re just getting started and while AI is a great tool to help us, there is still a great need for real intelligence. So let’s sit down and quietly think, perhaps less about how to solve problems, and more about which problems to solve.
How do we solve:
- The lack of kindness in the world?
- Reacquainting the world with true beauty?
- Encouraging hope in the future?
- Ingraining a love for oneself?
And this is just the tip of the iceberg.
A Sonnet
So as I sat there staring at the wall, wondering what I should do for my wife for Valentine’s Day I decided to write her a sonnet. No help from devices. Completely from my own mind.
And it’s likely the best thing I’ve ever written.