Through thoughtful questions and mindful moments.
Sitting amongst the mountains last week, my husband and I were reminiscing about the days when the milkman did his rounds, how we used to get excited to be the first one out to nab the creamy top.
We talked about the comforting familiarity as the milk was delivered; the warm greeting, the well wishes, the sound of the bottles clinking away as they continued the rounds to the neighbours.
The milkman is one of thousands of roles which have been replaced or redefined in some way over the years.
As our consumerism has grown, as technology has advanced, the way of things has naturally shifted with it.
What was once familiar is no longer.
There is a lot of important discussion about how busy our world is, how much we glorify the grind because to be ‘busy’ has been so ingrained into us as the only way to be productive.
But there is something bigger at play.
Paraphrasing Harriet Meyer, AI for Media; ‘…finding our place in whatever is to come,’ her words resonated deeply with me.
Work is a core aspect of identity for most of us, the rapid explosion of AI into all of our worlds in some way, has dislodged a fundamental part of who we are.
The work we used to do is beginning to look different, in variable scales for everyone, but a change nonetheless.
- How do we find the familiar in what is becoming so unfamiliar?
- With the pace of change at an all time high, what is it that roots us?
- What it is that gives us a sense of ‘being?’
- How do we find our place?
These were some of the questions I asked myself as I finished the excellent biography of Hannah Arendt “We Are Free To Change The World” by Lyndsey Stonebridge.
“This is a historical moment, she whispers to herself: pay attention.”
Indeed, we are in a historical moment. As Ardent proposes “nothing more than to think what we are doing.”
AI is pushing us to think beyond the boundaries of our ’roles’ and to identify our uniquely human strengths.
“The challenge AI presents is for us to re-discover what it is we humans do best.” (Matt Wall – Head of Editorial and Content, Microsoft UK)
To choose whether we try to keep up with the unnatural pace of technology, or to tune into our human features, and learn how to use somatic intelligence to balance and find ourselves amougst it all.
Just like the milkman, there will be roles which undoubtedly will change. What do you want your role to be in this world?
The underpinning fear of AI is real, and with fear, we often get small and disconnect.
But I believe this is a time for expansion and connection.
How can we expand our ‘being’ outside of the familiar boundaries of roles that once were, and open up to our multiple unique dimensions that could span disciplines and communities.
How could we use our humanity to connect more deeply, in a time that needs it most? We each have so much to give, the time is now.
How will you use your gifts, and find your place in whatever is to come?
