As I was shunted around the maze in the digital world trying to solve a cell phone issue, I fell down the rabbit hole where “live online chat” became my only option. It certainly didn’t seem like there was a live human being option, at least not one that speaks slowly, clearly, and not from a script. Live chat it is.
I said to myself, since this is my only option, go for it. I began rapidly typing my issue, waiting for a response past the “how are you today?” that I’m always tempted to answer, “I’ll be a whole lot better if you solve this problem.”
After innumerable holds while “Brian” was “checking,” he came back and gave me a definitive answer. It was then that I became suspicious because there was nothing to back up his answer, nothing to believe it to be true. So, I said, “Are you a live human?” insinuating, “Are you AI?”
“LOL,” he typed. “Yes, I’m Brian and I am a live human being.” It occurred to me that the answer to that question has been programmed into AI’s “brain,” so still nothing to prove that Brian really existed. He did not send the confirming email as promised.
Fireweed is beginning to take on fall hues in the Sandy Butte burn area.
Steven Hawking, speaking of AI: “It will either be the best thing that’s ever happened to us, or it will be the worst thing. If we’re not careful, it very well may be the last thing.” Since when has humanity been “careful”? Smart man, Hawking.
Whatever you want to call it — worry, concern, anxiety — there is always a nagging one with each day. Some are nigglers, petty for their mere annoyance and triviality. Some are medium size and most likely will resolve without any interference. Then there are the big ones — a bad medical diagnosis, a job loss, a death — events that will not just go away but must be managed emotionally every day.
I was speaking with a friend who was following up on one of my current worries. Not wanting to go there, I said, “Isn’t there a saying that ‘sufficient for each day is its own evil’?” She, being more religious than I, said, “Yes, Jesus said that.”
Jesus in The Sermon on the Mount: “So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” Smart man, Jesus.
My husband read this quote to me that had been sent to him: “A calm and modest life brings more happiness than the pursuit of success combined with constant restlessness.”
That is a truism I have long ascribed to. “Who said it?” I asked. “Albert Einstein.” Smart man, Einstein.
Buddha said, “Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon and the truth.” Now, that’s the truth. Smart man, Buddha.
A friend of my husband’s moved away from the valley. At his going away gathering, he walked around with a handful of crystals that he had found near Washington Pass. He expressly told each recipient to first take the crystal to fresh river water and dunk it to release its energy.
Not a complete believer but one who (usually) follows directions, I thought, “It’s worth a try.” Off to the Mazama Bridge I went and dunked my crystal in the cool, clear water. It didn’t come out with any kind of aura, but many ancient wisemen, including Plato, Pliny the Elder, and Galen spoke of the healing power of crystals. Smart men, they were.
“Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people.” Leaving you, the reader, with a quote from a smart woman — Eleanor Roosevelt.
