Me. Myself. and (A) I. *FINAL PART 3*

Love the World - artfully, not artifically.

If this is your first time reading this SoulPlay series: Me. Myself. And (A) I, you might not know my exploration comes from a place of curiosity and concern, deeply informed by my vocation - supporting others to become more deeply whole & human, more their true self, more connected to Spirit, Source, & Soul, more loving of themselves, others, and this beautiful world.

I believe becoming more deeply human will help us find the true, fulfilling, (joyful!) expression of being alive, and together create a more loving and just world for all.

I’ll invite you to go back and read Part 1, and Part 2 if you haven’t already tuned in.

I love the conversations I’ve been having with people. Some are as curious as I am, admittedly not sure how to hold all this. Others express disagreement with what I’ve shared. And, as I expected, the concept of “restraint” feels … well … difficult, incomplete or lacking.

That’s because it is. But, restraint with AI may have an important place, one that everyone can interface with.

So, what is this FINAL Part 3 about?

· I’m going to share a few more resources - if you didn’t check out Part 2’s, go there first.

· I’m going to attempt to bring some clarity to this idea of restraint I posited.

· I’m going to invite you to love the world more deeply.

Once again, this isn’t:

· A tutorial on what AI is

· A comprehensive explanation of where we are at today and where we’re going

· A final analysis of how we should use AI in this moment.

This is a fast moving landscape, and we all should be open to new information, developments, and opinions that are different than our own.

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Here’s the key idea to consider:

The spiritual practice of restraint has the capacity to make us fully present to the beautiful ache of being human and show us how we can live into our fullness, making the world we WANT to live in.

(Remember, restraint doesn’t me no AI…but it could mean a significant self-limiting.)

What kind of world do you want to live in? Annie Dillard once said, “how you live your days, or course, is how you live your life.”

My guess, is that you want your hours, days, months, and years to be full of meaning: feeling desire, longing, and expressing creativity. You want to grow the grit required to make mistakes and learn from them. You want to enjoy clean air and water, and the ability to move freely.

You want a more humane pace.

You want to know in your bones what it means to have loved and lost. You want an outer world that matches the depth and complexity of your inner world – the ache, longing, and natural uncertainty inherent to living well. You want all people to thrive – justice, equity, opportunity, inclusion and love to flow towards all people and not a few.

That’s what I want.

So, how might the personal practice of restraint support this, especially as it relates to the use of AI?

Restraint with AI so we can experience and enjoy the natural world, our home.

If you’re not familiar with the extreme tax AI has on our environment, I’ll point you to this short, helpful video. I had a few people share the idea that every time someone does a very simple search on AI, it’s like pouring a glass of water on the ground.

The advancement and building of data centres around the globe have a very tangible impact now and into our future. How is our consumption of AI, even for the simpliest of tasks, consuming valuable natural non renewable resources?

What kind of world do I want to live in. Do I want others to live in?

Just because we can, doesn’t mean we should.

Restraint with AI so we can experience and enjoy our human desire & creativity. Restraint with AI so we can experience and enjoy(!?) our human mistakes and failure.

Two situations you might be familiar with:

a. Using AI to plan a killer vacation itinerary, a meal plan, fixing a photo, creating a funny image, song or poem, etc. etc. etc.

b. Speeding up your work output and instead of writing the strategy, crafting the essay, or designing the graphic, you just edit it.

There are infinite version of these sorts of scenarios both personally and in our workplaces; ones that require our human minds and hearts to be pointed in a particular direction to create something. If the goal of living is to do our finite tasks in the shortest amount of time, then AI as the fastest, smartest assistant around might make sense. A capitalist impulse run amuck might prize efficiency, speed and perfection, but this isn’t what makes a human being flourish.

That’s not the goal of living well.

How does our personal and collective desires and creativity get expressed if we actually leave the creation and expression to a chatbot? What gets tossed aside if we only settle for “the best, the quickest, the smartest”? Time and effort, frustration and mistakes are valuable, not only to the end product, but one could argue more importantly for the benefit of the creator – us, as humans.

Friction is not always the enemy and ease isn’t always our best friend.

What kind of world do I want to live in. Do I want others to live in?

Just because we can, doesn’t’ mean we should.

Restraint with AI so we can turn towards one another in connection and care.

It’s been said that social media was fighting for our attention, but AI is fighting for our attachment.

We know how it’s playing out with social media and our ability to hold our attention – technology (and the businesses who created it) won the fight, we didn’t.

What if our AI personal assistants are degrading our ability to attach, trust, and connect with other humans in as subtle a manner as our attention span has slowly degraded with the rise of social media? Or how might AI replace human jobs in such a way that we speed up the alarming trend of individualism, isolation, and loneliness?

We could point to the stark reality of people falling in love with their chatbots (see the video in the resource list), or the prediction that in the not-so-distant future, a child’s best friend will be a robot, or the reality that at your job you will report to a seemingly compassionate and fair AI. It’s here and coming.

Handing over the keys of our basic human need for connection and compassion to AI may have some initial appeal, but the stakes seem too high, too unknown, and likely irrevocable.

I’d like our human ingenuity, grit and resources to solve the loneliness epidemic with other humans please.

Again, it will take more time, effort, and heart, but I think it’s worth it.

What kind of world do I want to live in. Do I want others to live in?

Just because we can, doesn’t mean we should.

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I know I’ve left a lot of situations out and so much territory left unexplored. I can hear many of you say … “ ya, but what about this?”

It’s true, in speaking of restraint, the temptation is to interpret it as complete abstinence. We’re not wanting to throw the baby out with the bath water. Like I said in Part 2 – AI is here and has the potential to do some incredible things. I want diseases to be cured. I want an end to poverty. I want mental health solutions. The list is long.

It’s just that we are often “playing around” with AI, or caving to the god of speed, efficiency, and ease. And that’s just the average person. When you consider the speed and financial incentives driving AI development, we can multiply the risk and impact beyond our understanding.

Restraint looks different at scale, but it’s restraint none-the-less.

Maybe a way to start thinking about restraint on smaller scale where you have agency is this:

• If AI wasn’t here, what would I do instead of using it?

• Would I find out the answer differently?

• Would I have to live into the questions for a longer period of time?

• Would I have to linger in uncertainty?

• Would I ask another person for help?

• Would I get creative and come up with something different?

Let’s ask ourselves this:

• What might the benefits of restraint actually be?

• What could slowing down the pace and percentage of use actually give me (in the short & long term?)

• What happens (or might happen) if we don’t restrain? What harms might be caused?

• What kind of world do I want to live in and how do I act now on behalf of our kids and grandkids, now and into the future?

These are questions for government, workplaces, civic institutions, families and individuals, especially now, with the latest warning, in early June from a major AI company , Anthropic.

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Let me end with a story.

A few weeks ago I was sharing my musings around AI with a group of friends, in part as a way to prepare for this newsletter series. I spent 30 minutes sharing my thoughts – it felt like an expression of curiosity, fear, confusion, and even anger.

Then, I paused, looked out my window and was struck by the way the wind was moving in the trees, how the sun was shining on my flower beds in my yard, and on the cars that were passing by – people just going about their business.

It felt achingly beautiful. Astonishingly fragile. Precious.

I was overcome with how much I loved life.

I was moved by the simplicity of the natural world colliding with the complexity of being human.

I felt a sadness in knowing that much of the struggle we feel as people, we bring upon ourselves in attempts to be more comfortable, accomplished, and in control - at the micro level of how we choose to use our time and money, to the macro level of geo-politics and economical systems.

I share this because I think the wisdom and antidote to the questions we’re holding with AI are found at the heart of our ability to love the world.

Loving the world takes practice. Loving the world takes heart.

Loving the world invites in deep grief and hope – a way of longing that causes the natural tension between restraint and indulgence, excess, and even our own freedom.

Loving the world can lead to a type of wise progress with AI I think we all want to see.

If you’re looking for a way to practice loving the world, give this a read, and follow its instruction!

I look forward to hearing from, and learning from you in this brave new world.

Loving the world with you,

-Christa

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RESOURCES

*Don’t forget to check out all the resources I provided in the last newsletter. I won’t provide many here because there are some very good ones to return to in the last letter.

• Podcast: Escaping an Anti-Human Future on Making Sense with Sam Harris-#469

• Video: My AI Loves Me Better Than Anyone Ever Could on Where Should We Begin with Esther Perel

• Podcast: Psyche in the Age of AI on This Jungian Life

• Podcast: Deus Ex Machina on How God Words

Got more to add? Simply reply or leave a comment.

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Here’s a resource to help bring slower presence and explore the beauty within this summer.

If you’re looking for a summer of soul-full abundance, these 6 self-guided mini-retreats will lead you toward more health, happiness, and vitality.

We will explore six themes (see below) that mirror the movements of the summer season so that when September arrives you will have a new perspective and gratitude that you long for.

You can use one, two, or all six of these retreats. The choice is yours!

Each of the 6 mini retreats will include:

• a short video by Christa exploring the theme, offering wisdom for the season ahead

• curated practices that help bring more play to your soul!

• Journal Reflection questions to help you dig deeper and notice the movements of your inner life

• poetry, music, podcasts, and videos to support your experience

This will be a unique experience that is designed to restore you, and not overwhelm you.

These gentle DIY and easy to use-at-your-own-pace resources will always be available to you - anytime (truly…anytime, anywhere!). Even after the summer ends, you’ll have access to these resources.

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