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Science and faith have long been rivals. They collide head-on in our AI world. KEY POINTS Artificial intelligence requires wise and skillful navigation as we sail into our uncertain future. Science and faith collide and converge as we try to determine how to safely and effectively use AI. "Pascal's Wager" can be a useful thought exercise to help us decide how best to proceed. Artificial intelligence is already beginning to rapidly change our world in ways that we didn't even consider until OpenAI released ChatGPT on November 30, 2022. The clock has officially started ticking as AI companies feverishly race one another to evolve and proliferate this powerful technology as rapidly as possible. Given that AI will be in everything, this necessarily means that AI will change everything. As but one example, it is likely we will soon have AI-powered, personalized assistants (e.g., Siri, Alexa, and Cortana) to help us with, well, everything. What will such changes mean for humanity? How will they affect our way of life? Could people fall in love with these personalized AI assistants, as depicted in the prescient sci-fi movie Her? Unless progress completely grinds to a halt for some reason, I suppose we’ll soon find out. We understand that humanity's relentless pursuit of progress doesn't always ensure that all advancements are beneficial for us. How intelligent will AI become? Could the frantic race among tech companies to advance and spread artificial intelligence lead to a race-to-the-bottom scenario fueled by game-theory? Will they be a net positive or a net negative for humanity? Will AI create a utopia or dystopia? What’s your confidence level, or perhaps your faith, that humanity has the collective wisdom to use AI skillfully to improve our lives? It would be wise to ask ourselves such questions now. Pascal's Wager The emergence of AI, and the often religious zeal that surrounds it, rekindled my thoughts about Pascal's Wager. You might be familiar with it already but, in brief, 17th-century French polymath Blaise Pascal devised this argument in defense of a belief in a traditional, Christian view of God. Pascal proposed a belief in this Christian view of God as a rational bet. This is because the potential benefits of believing in God (i.e., eternal happiness in heaven) far outweigh the finite costs of belief (i.e., living a religious life based on faith), especially when compared to the potential infinite loss of not believing if this Christian God does exist (i.e., eternal damnation). In a two by two grid, Pascal's Wager looks like this: Applying Pascal's Wager to the Rise of Artificial Intelligence While there are plenty of counterarguments against Pascal's original formulation, it struck me that we are now wrestling with modern versions of his wager. When it comes to AI, we have science and faith colliding in a unique fashion in real time. This is no hypothetical scenario. We are like a ship sailing into an ocean of uncertainty. Do icebergs lie ahead of us in this science fiction world we are creating for ourselves? Are we like passengers aboard the ill-fated Titanic speeding into a sea of AI icebergs? The Titanic's sinking offers a cautionary tale—are we heeding it as we sail into AI's uncertain future? What is your faith that things will somehow, invariably, work out for the best? Many of us, including myself, are skeptical that technology, particularly AI, will lead to favorable outcomes for humanity. The AI Uncertainty Matrix: A Modern Version of Pascal’s Wager A modern version of Pascal’s Wager might be helpful as we consider the potential for increasingly powerful AI systems for both world-changing positives and catastrophic negatives. The dawn of the AI era could be considered an inflection point of sorts because it is perhaps only the second time in human history that science and faith have clashed with similar existential implications. The first time was with the invention of the atomic bomb as captured in Christopher Nolan's brilliant 2023 Oscar contending film, Oppenheimer. Humans were rightly fearful that, for the very first time, we had created a weapon that could wipe out most or all of humanity. Let’s call ours The AI Uncertainty Matrix, and it would look something like this: The trajectory of AI's evolution—its power, speed, and the potential hurdles like technical challenges (cost, energy use, reliability), legal matters, and regulatory constraints—raises critical questions. As we head into these uncharted waters, we must each ask ourselves: What is our faith that we will be able to improve AI significantly beyond its current levels? If AI does continue to scale up in power, will it achieve artificial general intelligence, AGI (i.e., AI can perform any cognitive task as well as any human can)? Could AI's evolution progress to artificial superintelligence (ASI), where AI surpasses not only individual human intelligence but also the collective intelligence of humanity? Such possibilities have been explored within countless science-fiction books, movies, and television shows. Now, let's apply a modern twist to Pascal’s Wager with these AI scenarios. For simplicity's sake, let's combine AGI and ASI into The AGI/ASI Uncertainty Matrix, which would appear as follows: In What Do You Place Your Faith? I don’t know what the future holds. I have no crystal ball. The intellectually honest answer to these questions above should be, “I don’t know.” For me, I have absolute faith in humanity to make AI more powerful. Science created AI and will continue to refine it, as it has with all past technologies. Fueled by capitalism, our free market, the glittering allure of profits, and our innate drives, humans excel at making things better. Combine this with the irresistible temptation of becoming the “Neil Armstrong of technology” by being the first to create AGI, it is safe to bet that AI will continue to evolve. But what happens if we do achieve these unprecedented levels of advancement? This question invites us to consider not only the potential of AI to transform our world but also the profound responsibilities that come with wielding such power. With the evolution of AI, we must acknowledge that its potential to be beneficial and detrimental increase concurrently. We cannot have one without the other. It's not an either/or situation but a both/and. In a yin-yang sort of way, one cannot have the power of AI to make the world a utopia without the potential of that same power being used to cause dystopia. Now, what is your faith that humanity has the collective wisdom to use AI wisely and skillfully for the betterment of humanity? What’s your faith that the tech companies, and/or the open-source community, who's racing to build more powerful AI systems, are prioritizing the well-being of the future of humanity over their profits or other motives? Our Individual, and Collective, Leaps of Faith We all have to make a leap of faith here about what will happen in the sci-fi world humanity is creating for ourselves. This is where my faith falters. I don’t know about you, but what I’ve seen in humanity does not give me as much faith as I’d like that we have the collective wisdom to use AI skillfully. We have all seen enough in our lifetimes to know that, at least sometimes, humans can be foolish, selfish, greedy, and short-sighted. Perhaps the greatest leap of faith we must make is in humanity ourselves. One thing about humanity we know is that when we work together, there is virtually nothing we can’t do. As we invariably encounter problems with AI, can humanity overcome our constant fighting and work together to harness its enormous potential for the collective good? Can we overcome what has always been our greatest obstacle — ourselves? “There is no fate but what we make for ourselves.” This sentiment, expressed by both John and Sarah Connor, from the Terminator series, captures the essence of our collective agency in shaping the future. While my faith is uncertain as to whether humanity will rise to the occasion, I know it is possible. We have the capacity for greatness, including overcoming our differences for our collective good. As John Lennon sang, just “imagine” what we could do if we collectively harnessed the power of AI to improve our world. Regardless of how AI evolves, if I must place a wager on humanity's future, our best bet is through greater unity. I don’t know whether there is a God, afterlife, or what will happen with AI, but I do believe that we are all profoundly connected in ways that we can never fully grasp in this world. Embracing our inherent interconnectedness gives us the greatest odds of creating the brightest future possible. Together, harnessing our collective wisdom and strength, we can steer the course of AI towards improving our world and ensure that technology amplifies our shared humanity rather than diminishes it.

Welcome back, my fellow Connectors! I’ve been writing madly about our mad, mad world over the past month. My article mushroomed to 8000 words, so I thought it would be better to break this up! Are you ready to continue our “red pill” journey and delve deeper down the rabbit hole? As you might recall from my very first article on Medium, Finding Greater Peace and Joy in Our “Crazy” World, I feel compelled to write and present because I look around and see quite a bit of “craziness” in our world, as I know countless millions of us do. We see increased political polarization, the rise of totalitarianism, struggling democracies, wars in the Middle East and between Russia and Ukraine, global climate change, culture wars, rising rates of mental health problems, especially among the young, and now the promise and perils of artificial intelligence. The global problems affect all of us in our interconnected world. This is my bottom line: I believe that the intricate, complicated problems of our modern world necessitate a much greater level of unity than humanity has been showing lately. I don’t know that I can actually make a difference, but I want to “be the change” I wish to see in the world. My purpose is to be a uniter and not a divider — to be part of the solution and not just another part of the problem. Thus, in a nondualistic way, I’m going to do what I can to make a positive impact in this world with no delusions that I actually can. Those two things are separate in my mind. I must try the only way I know how — writing, presenting, and I will soon start sharing videos on my YouTube channel, Connect with Dr. Mike, as well as TikTok (I’m going into the belly of the beast!). My conviction is that the roots of many (or most) of our problems at both individual and societal levels lies in our evolutionary roots. To put it simply, we did not evolve to live in the world we currently inhabit. The mismatch between our evolutionary heritage and the modern world we’ve created for ourselves leads to various kinds and levels of suffering. We are going to take a deeper dive into what is called evolutionary mismatch within this third part of our mini-series. Before we do that, a review of what we covered thus far will help us on this journey. A Brief Recap of What Is Wrong With Our World In the first part of this mini-series, What Is Wrong With Our World — Part 1: The Good News/Bad News, we covered how, although humanity has made much progress over the centuries, we have serious problems on our hands. These two truths co-exist. In the second part, What Is Wrong With Our World — Part 2: The Evolutionary Roots of Modern Problems, we covered how humans evolved as nomadic hunter-gatherers in small tribes of about 100–150 people over the course of millions of years. Our modern world is vastly different from that of our evolutionary ancestors, which leads to a multitude of thorny problems due to evolutionary mismatch. As you recall, evolutionary mismatch refers to the incongruence between our ancient, evolved traits and the demands of our contemporary environment. Evolutionary mismatch is at the root of many of our modern problems for the simple fact is that we did not evolve to live in the world in which we now live. The mismatch between the world in which we evolved and the complexities of this modern world is at the root of a multitude of complex problems at both individual and societal levels. Have you ever wondered why our high-tech, interconnected world still battles with fundamental issues like tribalism and short-sightedness? Do you see a lot of craziness that makes you think, “What the hell is going wrong with our world?” This conundrum lies at the heart of understanding the disconnect between our ancient brains and modern challenges. Our evolutionary heritage makes navigating the complexities of modernity mind-bogglingly challenging. These complex challenges lead to the mad, mad world in which we are living. From this perspective, we aren’t going “crazy.” This world is going crazy, and this crazy world is making all of us a little crazy trying to deal with it. When viewed through the lens of evolutionary mismatch, the feelings of stress, anxiety, depression, and pessimism that many of us are experiencing might even be considered normal, healthy reactions to this “crazy” world. Indeed, even our worsening societal divisions, which seem to tear at the fabric of our collective existence, can be viewed as a symptom of this evolutionary mismatch. It is a reflection of how our ancient brains struggle with the complexities and pressures of a world they never evolved to navigate. Of course, evolutionary mismatch does not explain all the world’s problems. As I’ve stated numerous times, the world is extremely complicated, as are we human beings, and we can’t point to a single cause to the myriad of problems in life. However, evolutionary mismatch can be considered a “meta-explanation” — a unifying framework for understanding the problems of our world. Now, let’s take a closer look at an aspect of evolutionary mismatch that can help to explain many of the problems of our modern world. From Simple Roots to Complex Realities: Navigating the Wicked Challenges of Modernity A helpful way of looking at the difficult challenges in this modern world comes from the work of Dr. Robin Hogarth and his colleagues. In their research, they proposed that there are kind and wicked learning environments. Importantly, “kind” does not mean “good,” and “wicked” does not mean “evil” or “bad” in this context. Rather, kind learning environments are simple, straight-forward cause-and-effect relationships — if I do this, then that will happen. Feedback in these kind learning environments is quick and relatively clear. For example, hunting and gathering food were carried out by our ancestors in kind learning environments. Finding shelter from a storm was also a kind challenge that our ancestors needed to manage. We are naturally drawn toward more simple and concrete answers because our ancestors evolved in a world in which more short-term, causal thinking was adaptive. That’s primarily the type of thinking that they needed for survival: Find food, water, shelter, a mate, and stay alive. Life was so simple in those “good old days!” While life in kind learning environments was straightforward, let’s contrast this with the complexities of wicked learning environments that we face today. Wicked learning environments are complicated and dynamically changing. Cause-and-effect relationships are difficult to see, many variables are involved, there is a lot of statistical “noise,” and predictions are inherently difficult to make. Feedback is infrequent, inconsistent, and often delayed in time. Moreover, in wicked learning environments, we often learn the wrong lessons because the variables, or inputs, are not clearly related to the outcomes. The complexities of these wicked environments underscore a critical aspect of our psychology: cognitive biases. These biases, which are deeply ingrained within our psyche, were once beneficial in simpler, “kind” learning environments. However, as we grapple with the intricacies of modernity, these same biases often lead us astray. Let’s delve into how these cognitive shortcuts, while once advantageous, now contribute to our struggles in navigating the sophisticated challenges of today’s world. Cognitive Biases, Misperceptions, and Evolutionary Mismatch: Navigating the Complexity of Modern Problems The evolutionary mismatch between our ancestral environments and the complex modern world gives rise to a range of cognitive biases. These cognitive biases and and related concepts emerge from the mismatch between our ancestral environments and today’s world. From this perspective, these biases distort reality, but they do this (largely) because fitness (i.e., survival) is more important than reality. Cognitive biases, rooted in our ancestral “kind” environments, are unconscious ways to reduce decision-making complexity They are like mental shortcuts that allow us to make decisions more quickly to navigate potentially life-or-death situations. These cognitive biases, while once serving survival purposes in “kind” learning environments, now often lead to misjudgments and issues in our “wicked,” complicated modern world. Given that our modern world is so wickedly complex and mismatched with that of our ancestors, our cognitive biases fill in the gaps created by the widening mismatch. In turn, these biases and perceptual distortions contribute to numerous troublesome problems. In fact, as discussed previously, so many of our modern problems (e.g., climate change, polarization) can be viewed as emergent properties, or negative externalities, of this inherent mismatch. For example, we didn’t evolve to think statistically- that’s “wicked.” We evolved to learn more from cause-effect, observations, and anecdotal experiences within our tribes. Thus, we often form our opinions and values about what is “good” or “right” based upon anecdotal evidence and experiences rather than a careful, objective analysis of the data. It is as if our brains are trying to solve the challenges of wicked learning environments with the same cognitive approaches that helped our ancestors survive in those kind learning environments. As we examine these concepts more closely, it becomes clear that the greater the mismatch between the complexities of our modern world and the simplicities of our ancestral environments, the greater the distortion in our perception of reality by cognitive biases. In turn, these cognitive distortions create more problems for us. The Mismatch-Equation for Suffering (MES) would be: More progress = more mismatch = greater cognitive distortions = more suffering. These distortions not only affect individual perspectives but also amplifies societal issues, turning these biases into significant contributors to the array of challenges we face today (e.g., climate change and political polarization). Essentially, our evolutionary past, in being incongruent with the present, naturally seeds the very problems that plague our modern existence and threaten our future. Let’s explore some key biases and constructs that have become very problematic as a result of living in our wickedly complicated world: 1.     Hedonic Adaptation: Our tendency to quickly return to a baseline level of happiness, regardless of significant positive or negative life changes, sets the stage for understanding our dissatisfaction in a world of constant progress. This adaptation, once a survival mechanism, now fuels our relentless pursuit of more, often leaving us unfulfilled. However, obtaining “more” or “better” when we have enough is not going to result in greater sustained happiness. 2.    Myside Bias: This bias leads us to process information in a way that favors our pre-existing beliefs and opinions. In a world flooded with information and misinformation, myside bias often hinders our ability to see issues objectively, feeding into social polarization and echo chambers, especially in digital spaces. 3.    Confirmation Bias: Closely linked to myside bias, confirmation bias is our tendency to search for, interpret, and recall information that confirms our preconceptions. This bias distorts our perception of reality, making us less open to diverse viewpoints and new information, further entrenching us in our beliefs that, in turn, contribute to greater levels of polarization. 4.    Negativity Bias: Our evolutionary focus on potential threats over positive events now manifests as an overwhelming attention to negative news. This bias, while once crucial for survival, now skews our worldview, often making us more pessimistic and fearful than warranted by objective data/facts. Moreover, our negativity bias forms the basis for and fuels the news media mantra, “If it bleeds, it leads.” We are drawn to negative news like moths to a flame. 5.    Availability Bias: We judge the frequency and importance of something based on how easily it comes to mind. In today’s world, where sensational and negative events are more prominently reported and shared, availability bias amplifies our perception of risk, threat, and danger. 6.    Prevalence-Induced Concept Change: As our environment evolves and we solve certain problems, our standards for what constitutes a problem shift. This tendency, while adaptive in the past, now complicates our ability to address complex societal issues. It is one reason why, even when things improve and we do make progress (e.g., women and minority rights), it never feels like it. This is because we’ve adapted to the “new normal” and the new problems feel as bad as the old ones. 7.     Supernormal Stimuli: Our brains evolved to respond to natural stimuli beneficial for survival, such as the sweetness of ripe fruit. Today’s world, however, amplifies these stimuli to extreme levels. Products like sugar-packed foods, captivating social media, pornography, and binge-worthy TV exploit these primal instincts, creating supernormal stimuli. While these exaggerated versions are highly profitable for companies, they can lead to various health and societal problems like obesity and mental health disorders. This scenario underscores the irony of our evolved preferences being hijacked by modern capitalism, often to our detriment. 8.    Temporal Discounting: Our preference for immediate rewards over future benefits, a survival mechanism in the past, now impedes our ability to tackle future-oriented challenges, like environmental conservation. 9.    Game Theory & Tragedy of the Commons: Our individual rational actions, in pursuit of personal gains, can lead to collectively irrational outcomes. This phenomenon, well-explained by game theory, is evident in the tragedy of the commons, where shared resources are depleted for individual benefit. 10.        Diffusion of Responsibility: In large, complex societies, this bias leads to a lack of personal accountability, especially in addressing large-scale issues like climate change, a modern challenge far removed from the clear-cut responsibilities of our ancestral tribes. We did not evolve to consider how our individual choices, when added collectively among millions or billions of us, contribute to both global problems and our individual suffering. 11. The Attention Economy — A Modern Tragedy of the Commons: In our digital age, the battle for our attention mirrors the tragedy of the commons. Our focus, constantly diverted by various stimuli, leaves us with diminished capacity for deep, meaningful engagement. This includes deep interpersonal, in-person, connections, which are the source of much of our happiness. 12.         The Paradox of Choice: In our modern, technology-driven world, we’re presented with an overwhelming array of choices for fulfilling our desires, from streaming platforms to online shopping. While this abundance seems like a luxury, it often leads to stress and dissatisfaction. The Paradox of Choice highlights how having too many options can leave us overwhelmed, less satisfied with our decisions, and perpetually second-guessing if we could have made a better choice. This paradox is a stark contrast to our ancestors’ simpler decision-making environments and further exemplifies the mismatch between our evolved preferences and the complexities of modern life. The abundances of modernity, fueled by our technologies, leaves us overwhelmed by a glut of great options. 13.         Miswanting and Digital Red Herrings of Happiness: Coupled with the Paradox of Choice is the concept of “miswanting” — our mistaken belief that fulfilling certain desires will bring happiness, when in fact, it leads us astray. In the attention economy, where endless digital distractions masquerade as fulfilling options, we often chase these “digital red herrings of happiness.” We’re drawn to the allure of endless digital possibilities, only to find ourselves more scattered and less content. The pursuit of these myriad options, driven by our evolved desire for novelty and choice, ironically results in less overall happiness and a diminished sense of fulfillment…or at least a poor “return on investment” of our time. We are caught in the paradoxical trap of wanting and pursuing more options, and technology being able to deliver those, but these are not translating into greater levels of personal or societal happiness. More of enough does not make us any happier. Having explored these biases, let’s step back to see the bigger picture they paint. Our journey through these cognitive biases and concepts reveals a complex landscape in which our ancestral tools for survival and decision-making are constantly challenged by the realities of modern life. Each of these biases and concepts demonstrates how our brains, developed for straightforward, immediate (i.e., “kind”) challenges, now grapple with the intricate, interconnected (i.e., “wicked”) issues of modernity. The Natural Emergence of the Wicked Problems of Modernity Our exploration of cognitive biases and constructs now leads us to another critical aspect of modern life — the emergence of wicked problems. In an age where our reliance on technology demands a delicate balance, we find ourselves at odds with challenges that our ancestors never faced. These complex, dynamic, “wicked” problems naturally emerge from the very advancements we value and feverishly pursue. Unlike the “kind” but harsh world in which our brains evolved, today we navigate a landscape filled with challenges that are not only interconnected but also compounded by the progress we so cherish. Understanding the evolutionary mismatch between kind and wicked learning environments is key to navigating our world skillfully. We cannot apply “kind” solutions to “wicked” problems effectively. It is like trying to fit a square peg through a round hole. It just doesn’t work. We must recognize that the pursuit of happiness in the modern age often requires a reevaluation of our instinctual desires and a conscious adaptation of our decision-making strategies to the novel demands of this modern world. We struggle to effectively manage the problems of today because we never evolved to manage them in the first place. Let’s take a look at some of these wicked, modern challenges. We now face a multitude of modern challenges, each of which is intertwined with the technological and societal progress we cherish: 1.     Climate change: Our planet’s alarming warming trend signals distress for life, ecosystems, and economies alike. 2.    Biodiversity loss: The stark decline in wildlife since 1970 mirrors severe environmental distress. 3.    Nuclear risks: Nations like North Korea and Iran add to the persisting dread of nuclear conflict. 4.    Mental health crisis: Rising mental health issues, coupled with loneliness, reflect a society struggling despite technological connection. 5.    Socio-political turmoil: Persistent conflicts, exemplified by Ukraine and Israel-Palestine, fuel global instability. 6.    Political polarization: Deepening divisions, especially in the U.S., erode social cohesion and democratic norms. 7.     Authoritarian trends: The spread of authoritarianism poses a direct threat to global democracy and human rights. 8.    Poverty and inequality: Despite advancements, stark economic divides and extreme poverty persist. 9.    Healthcare accessibility: A staggering half of the global population lacks essential health services. 10.        Educational disparities: The pandemic has magnified inequalities in education, impacting young lives worldwide. 11. Cybersecurity threats: The digital revolution brings its own set of risks, challenging our safety and privacy. 12.         AI’s existential risks: The rapid evolution of AIs present possible dangers to societal stability and poses existential risks. These challenges highlight the evolutionary mismatch confronting us. Our brains, which were honed over millions of years to survive and thrive in simpler times, now face the daunting task of navigating complexities like political polarization and climate change. These complex systems, which have emerged and evolved over time, represent wicked learning environments that are markedly different from our evolutionary origins. Examples of Evolutionary Mismatch in Our Modern World I am certain that you can think of many other concepts, ideas, and challenges that contribute to society’s struggles. That said, those still probably relate to evolutionary mismatch in one way or another. Let’s cover several examples of evolutionary mismatch to drive this important point home to which we can all relate: 1.   Obesity Epidemic: Our ancestors were adapted to scarcity, not abundance. They didn’t have constant access to high-calorie, processed foods. Today, our bodies are still wired to crave sugars and fats, but the modern food environment offers them in excess, leading to widespread obesity. 2.    Sedentary Lifestyles: Our hunter-gatherer ancestors were used to walking long distances, foraging, and hunting, which kept them physically active. In contrast, modern life often involves sitting for long periods (e.g., at desks at work or school, on the couch watching TV/playing video games), for which our bodies are not adapted. This can lead to numerous health issues like cardiovascular diseases. 3.    24/7 Work Culture: Our ancestors worked with the rhythms of the day and seasons, not answering emails at midnight. The non-stop grind takes a toll on our mental and physical health. 4.    Artificial Light: We evolved with the sun and moon cycles. Constant exposure to artificial light disrupts our circadian rhythms, contributing to chronic sleep loss. 5.    Sleep Deprivation: Our biological clock evolved long before electricity and 24/7 lifestyles. Chronic sleep loss can lead to cognitive impairments and serious health problems like Alzheimer’s disease. 6.    Loneliness Epidemic: Ironically, despite being so “connected” through the internet and social media, so many of us are feeling more disconnected than ever. Humans evolved to be social creatures, relying on tight-knit communities within our hunter-gatherer tribes. The hustle and bustle of modern life often lacks depth in interpersonal relationships. This can lead to feelings of isolation and associated health risks. 7.     Climate Change: Our ability to manipulate the environment has led to a detrimental impact on the planet at a scale our ancestors couldn’t envision. The effects of climate change on the planet are vast, far-reaching, costly, and sometimes deadly (e.g., more extreme weather events). 8.    Political Polarization: Tribal instincts once helped protect our small groups but now contribute to large-scale division and conflict. Modern media and technology might contribute to increased political polarization. 9.    Pandemics: High population densities and frequent travel allow viruses to spread more quickly. Close contact with livestock provides opportunities for diseases to jump to humans (e.g., swine flu, avian flu, Ebola, SARS, possibly even COVID-19). 10.        Technology Overuse: Our brains are wired for novelty, which is useful for survival in natural settings. Today’s technology, like smartphones, exploits this, which can contribute to an overuse of technology or using it unskillfully (e.g., wasting time, disconnecting from friends, not getting enough sleep or time outdoors/physical exercise). 11. Cognitive Overload Syndrome: Our hunter-gatherer ancestors lived in environments where information was vital but scarce. Whether it was tracking prey or identifying edible plants, their survival depended on their ability to focus on crucial details. Fast forward to today, and we’re swamped with a deluge of information from emails, social media, news, and more. Our brains weren’t designed to process this volume of data, leading to cognitive fatigue, decision paralysis, and increased stress. I am calling this Cognitive Overload Syndrome (or COS, pronounced “cause”). We could say that a cause of some of our suffering in this modern world is COS. 12.         Social Media and Dunbar’s Number: In primitive societies, humans evolved to live in tight-knit communities, typically not exceeding 150 individuals — Dunbar’s Number (named after anthropologist Robin Dunbar). This limit is thought to be the maximum number of stable relationships one person can maintain. In the age of social media, it’s not uncommon to have hundreds or even thousands of “friends” or followers, many of whom we’ve never met in person. This artificial expansion of our social circles can dilute the quality of our relationships and contribute to feelings of isolation and inadequacy. 13.         Mental Health Disorders: Modern stressors like job pressure, social comparison, and cognitive overload syndrome take a toll on our mental health. Our brains are less equipped to manage the chronic stress common in today’s world. Our brains and bodies evolved to deal with challenges in problems in an ancient world (e.g., food, water, shelter, safety from predators) not those found in modernity (e.g., choosing a career, saving for a house or retirement, dealing with climate change, inflation, work/life balance, political polarization). Embracing the Paradox: Navigating Our Evolutionary Boundaries In the dance between our evolutionary heritage and modernity, we stand at an inflection point. Our relentless pursuit of progress, increasingly driven by technological advances, magnifies the evolutionary mismatch we face. As we stand on the brink of significant changes brought about by artificial intelligence, the implications are profound and far-reaching. There is an undeniable tension between our technological world of modernity and the ancient rhythms of life that are tethered to our biological heritage. Our basic survival needs — air, food, water, shelter, physical activity, safety, and social connection — form the foundation of our existence. While we are highly adaptive, which is how we survived and thrived throughout history, we do have our limits. In a sense, happiness, in the form of contentment, can be viewed as the evolutionary payoff for effectively meeting these primal needs. We have terraformed, or “technoformed” our planet. Yet, this complex, dynamic hyper-connected world that we’ve created often leaves us feeling overloaded and overwhelmed. We are naturally inclined to try to find “kind,” simple solutions to the convoluted, intricate, “wicked” problems of modernity. Yet, trying to force kind solutions on wicked problems is fundamentally flawed. Clinging to the vestiges of Stone-Age logic in a digital age simply will not work. In turn, this flawed, mismatched approach creates suffering on both individual and collective levels. Evolutionarily, we are compelled to learn, grow, improve, and connect. Yet, this drive, which is fundamental to our very existence, has resulted in us engineering a world of complexity that clashes with our evolutionary makeup. In this way, we have inadvertently created the world of modernity that is at the root of much of our individual and collective suffering. In this sense, our modern world is much like Dr. Frankenstein’s monster. In today’s world, we often feel disconnected from each other, a feeling that’s grown from the mismatch between our ancient human needs and the fast-paced, technology-driven society in which we live. Interestingly, this sense of disconnection has a paradoxical effect. Our disconnection connects us. How so? We all experience this disconnection, and it affects us in similar ways, leading to feelings of isolation or like something is missing or is “off.” So, in a strange twist, our collective experience of disconnection — this common struggle with the challenges of modern life — brings us together. It’s as if by feeling apart from one another, we realize just how connected we truly are. This paradox of disconnection — where our shared sense of isolation becomes a point of unexpected unity — underscores the complex web of our shared human experience. Many of us had this epiphany during Covid lockdowns. The Covid lockdowns served as a stark reminder of the value of our daily social interactions. They revealed how our “aloneness” in the digital age can paradoxically highlight our need for in-person connectedness. We didn’t realize how sacred and important our daily social connections were until they were taken from us. Now, too often, we are alone together as we try to navigate the complexities of this rapidly changing world. Our shared disconnectedness has become the “new normal,” but one to which we cannot adapt because of our evolutionary heritage. “Learn how to see. Realize that everything connects to everything else.” — Leonardo DaVinci The head-spinning pace of change in our era of modernity far exceeds the slow crawl of biological evolution. While we definitely benefit from our progress in countless ways, evolutionary mismatch is an inherently negative externality of our progress. That is, our progress creates mismatch and mismatch creates suffering. The very pursuit of progress, with the hope that it can lead to greater happiness, can, paradoxically, cause us to suffer. As we stand at the frontier of our science-fiction world that we are engineering, we encounter what I am calling the Progress-Happiness Paradox. That is, many of our advances, which we are driven to make, inadvertently amplify our existential woes instead of easing them. This idea, that our very progress could exacerbate our suffering, is a Big Effin’ Problem. We will take an even deeper dive into this paradox in the next installment of this series. The implications are profound and necessitate a deeper exploration. My fellow Connectors, I will leave you with this. We are creating some wickedly complicated problems for ourselves through our progress. Thus, our feverish pursuit of progress (and profits) necessitates a paradigm shift in our thinking and goals. We must seek a greater harmony between our evolutionary heritage and the future we are shaping. Our greatest challenge, and our shared imperative, is to transcend the constraints of the evolutionary heritage that got us here. This, my friends, will be extremely difficult, but it is the most skillful way forward. In navigating these wickedly complex problems, we must question the blind pursuit of progress. We must redefine our collective journey towards a future where technology serves not to disconnect, but to enhance our human experience. Needless to say, we have our work cut out for us. Yet, when we work together, there’s nothing we cannot accomplish. This our challenge. Humanity, let’s level up! Please join me in the next installment of this series as we explore the Progress-Happiness Paradox. In this article, I will explain how screens are and are not causing an explosion in the mental health problems. Intrigued? Please join me as we go deeper down the rabbit hole as we seek to unravel the complexities of how our progress, especially our technologies, affects our well-being!

“The world has changed. I feel it in the water. I feel it in the earth. I smell it in the air.” — Lady Galadriel from the movie, “The Fellowship of the Ring” Greetings, my fellow connectors! As you look around at what is happening in our world these days, are you the type of person who wonders, “What the hell is going on? Is the world going mad? Are we headed in the wrong direction? Where is all this “progress” taking us anyway?” We are being bombarded relentlessly these days with information, content, change, and negativity. As we doomscroll through threats such as climate change, political polarization, the proliferation of artificial intelligence, UFO claims, rising mental health problems, wars, mass shootings, a recent pandemic, economic instability, and natural disasters, we often feel like we can’t keep our collective heads above water. It’s a dizzying whirlwind, and it is as if life is going off the rails. We feel that the stakes are getting higher and higher as humanity is being forced to navigate mind-bogglingly complex and unfolding challenges. If such thoughts and concerns overwhelm you, trust me, you are not alone. I’m right there with you. There’s been some kind of change or shift in recent decades, and it’s not in a good way. While there are certainly countless wonderful things about our modern world, we know there is something wrong as well. We can feel it. “Let me tell you why you’re here. You’re here because you know something. What you know you can’t explain, but you feel it. You’ve felt it your entire life, that there’s something wrong with the world. You don’t know what it is, but it’s there, like a splinter in your mind, driving you mad.” — Morpheus to Neo from the movie, “The Matrix” We know this truth: We are only seeing the tips of some very formidable icebergs in front of us. Many of these icebergs - these obstacles - are likely to become even more difficult to manage over time, such as evolving and proliferating artificial intelligence and worsening global climate change. Yet, we are simultaneously experiencing growing and troublesome levels of polarization in America and elsewhere around the world. What worries many of us is that we are not seeing the level of unity necessary to overcome these complicated, imposing, evolving, but shared challenges. Humanity — we need to bring our “A-Game” to these challenges in order to navigate them skillfully. Let me put it this way. While we are not doomed, how skillfully we manage these thorny challenges and problems determines our level of suffering versus happiness. “We may have all come on different ships, but we are in the same boat now.” — Martin Luther King, Jr. If I am describing how you feel, then I’m inviting you to join me on an ambitious journey. Like Neo in The Matrix, we must take the red pill, fearlessly confront reality, and dig deep to understand what’s really happening. By pursuing truth and a better understanding of reality, of how both we and our world work, we can uncover the underlying causes of our problems and navigate life’s challenges more effectively. If this resonates with you, then this series is meant for you, my fellow explorer. Please join me, and let’s see how deep this rabbit hole goes. Welcome to my new Medium series! “Wonder is the beginning of wisdom.” — Socrates What Do I Mean by “Crazy” World? “When I say this world is ‘crazy,’ I mean that it often seems chaotic and overwhelming. Here’s my main point though: Sometimes we fault ourselves for struggling to cope. Many of us feel chronically stressed, anxious, depressed, frustrated, numb, hopeless, or unhappy. Here is what I want you to know — we don’t have to feel bad for feeling bad. There’s nothing inherently wrong with us that we are frequently struggling. The great news is that we are not defective or losing our sanity. The issue is that our technological world is evolving so rapidly that many of us feel like leaves swirling within the chaotic winds of change. We struggle to grapple with the inherent challenges of this dynamic, hyper-connected modern age. From this perspective, here is the important reality to internalize. We are not going crazy — it is this world that is becoming “crazy,” and it is making us all a little crazy trying to keep up with it! It’s not our fault that we’re suffering while trying to keep up with the frenetic pace of this world. However, it is our problem that we must tackle. This series aims to explore why we find ourselves struggling so much in this world and what steps we can take to achieve greater peace and happiness in a “crazy” world. My Preemptive Apology I must first apologize to you for the hypocrisy of being yet another person vying for the most precious gift you could ever give me, or any other person: Your undivided attention. In so many ways, other people, the media, bots, and the algorithms of surveillance capitalist are in fierce competition with one another for this most precious commodity in the known universe. We are already inundated with a firehose of information. As I write, blog, tweet, present, etc., I become part of the insane system that I, in part, am railing against. I embody hypocrisy. Yet, this is the insane world in which we live. I either get on this crazy train, or I get left behind in the digital dust. In part, I think the push-pull that I’m describing is what is making us all a little bit crazy. I will elaborate on these ideas in my next articles for Medium. Would You Join Me on This Journey? Now, the onus is on me to earn the gift of your attention. I hope I can prove myself worthy of it. I have much to share, and I would like the opportunity to earn your precious gift. To this end, I would like to make a little deal with you. Are you ready to hear my pitch? I know this is asking a lot, but I will throw myself at your feet anyway. Please subscribe to my Medium series and read my first five articles. I plan to write one article every week or two. So, I’m asking for roughly an hour of your time over the next 5–10 weeks. I realize that, with all of the competing needs and forces out there, this is actually a big ask. If you make this deal with me, I have five articles to convince you that at least some of these ideas are juicy nuggets worth considering, sharing, and putting into practice. With this Medium series, I will be attempting to connect some BIG dots about what is going on in this world and the obstacles we have ahead of us. We’ll also explore what we must do to navigate some of the most difficult challenges humanity has ever faced. I will be shooting for the moon with this series. In this introductory article, I am laying the groundwork for what’s to come in this series. Future blogs will be shorter. I have a complete story arc to tell if you decide to join me. I am basically blogging an entire book, but I promise to break these ideas up into digestible nuggets. I have written one book that was published by Oxford University Press in 2018, Tech Generation: Raising Balanced Kids in a Hyper-Connected World. Yet, trying to write and publish this book will take too long. I have to get these ideas out, or I will soon drive myself and everyone around me mad. I am convinced that blogging my book is the way to go at this juncture. Perhaps I will consolidate this material into a book at some point, but I need to write one piece at a time. This is the way. I encourage you to stick with me, at least for a little while, because I will offer some fresh takes and overarching theories that could really resonate with you. While there are some sobering realities about our world that we must face, together we can explore different perspectives, theories, and solutions. By seeking to understand the complexities of our challenges, we can shed light on potential paths forward and work collaboratively to navigate this ever-changing landscape. “The only way to solve a problem is to understand it, and understanding begins with an honest and open search for the truth, however painful that truth may be.” — C. P. Snow, British novelist and scientist My Purpose in Life Is to Share These Ideas As strange as it may seem, I believe that a central purpose in my life is to share these thoughts and ideas with you. I write (and present) on these ideas without any intention of amassing followers, fortune, or fame. While I’d love to have people follow this series on Medium and share with others, my goal, my purpose, is to pass along these ideas. These ideas have become a story that I must share with others who are willing to join me on this journey. With full transparency, if I can figure out a way to earn enough money from writing and presenting to make a living, then I will be able to dedicate more time to this calling. However, I can’t let that distract me too much because then it might undermine my purpose to write! Therefore, I will just write and be open to what unfolds. The Treadmill of Life Doesn’t it often feel as if we are running on a treadmill in which the speed keeps increasing and we just can’t keep up? Over the past few years, I have experienced a growing feeling that the pace of life is accelerating. I’ve come to believe that both my life, and the world around me, have reached an inflection point. It’s as if life’s experiences have converged at this exact moment, compelling me to write. As if autonomously guided, my mind is piecing it all together, and generating what I call my “thought babies.” I first heard this term “thought babies” on an episode of the television series Brooklyn 99, and the term has become a favorite of mine ever since. I view what’s happened to me as a synchronicity that has resulted in me having a lot of thought babies and a conviction to share them through writing and presenting. When I connect the different thought babies, they tell a story. However, until I write and share these thought babies, it is as if they are in one, huge thought baby orphanage. These thought babies don’t have a home until I share them. So, that brings me to this moment right now — sharing these thought babies. A Concept Album of Thought Babies To be clear, we all have thought babies. They are like epiphanies or musical melodies that pop into our heads. They are probably born out of a complex interplay between our genetics, previous learning experiences, values, interests, and other variables. Yet, sometimes it feels as if there is a spiritual element to them, which defies explanation. Within the past few months, I have been experiencing these intriguing thought babies as loud, catchy melodies that I can’t help but hear and share. Folks, these thought babies have been singing to me. My good friend, a jazz musician, likens it to how musical ideas come to musicians. They’re melodies that evolve into songs, and now, for me, they’ve become a concept album of ideas. This series on Medium is my concept album, in a manner of speaking. I am changing metaphors here, but I have connected these “thought baby” dots into a painting I want to show you — kind of like a pointillist painter. Let’s be unequivocally clear: I don’t claim to be unique or special for having “thought babies,” wanting to connect dots, or feeling compelled to share these ideas. There are countless others sharing similar ideas and their own thought babies. They have their own “concept albums” or “pointillist paintings” to share. In fact, I borrow or am inspired by countless other people, and I will try to cite them along the way whenever I can. In this regard, I am not creating the dots that I am connecting. I can only identify these “dots,” which represent ideas worth sharing, if they already existed in some form. Imagine that we are all explorers on different parts of some newly discovered island. We can only discover new flora and fauna. We do not create them. You might discover them completely independent of me, but we can only discover what’s already there. As we embark on this journey, perhaps think of me as a musician in a small coffee shop or your favorite watering hole, passionately playing a set list of songs that might resonate with you. For my part, I feel compelled to put this concept album into the world through Medium and then give it up to God, the Universe, or whatever. For my purpose is to share without any other goal or expectation, and I will strive to do just that. While I hope people like what I have to say, I cannot become attached to that because then I will be unable to say what I feel compelled to say. I hope this makes sense! My Personal Journey to Synchronicity I have another story to tell you. It’s the story of how I got to this point. To do it justice, I would need at least 10000 words, and I could probably write a stand alone book just on this journey! I would love to provide the backstory in full at some point because it explains why I feel so compelled to tell you the things I am going to be sharing with you throughout this series. In brief, I have been interested in science, spirituality, philosophy, religion, psychology, music, literature, pop culture, and science fiction since I can remember. Throughout the journey that I’ve been on, parts of me have often been at war with one another, particularly my scientific materialism with my spirituality and faith. However, over the years, these different interests, beliefs, and conflicts have converged and harmonized. I have come to some sort of peace and equilibrium. The once disparate elements have merged such that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Even as I was resolving some of my inner conflicts, I was growing more frustrated and discouraged over the past several years with our increasingly polarized political world. I felt, “We are devolving! Surely, humanity can do better than this!” As I was writing and presenting on some ideas to help us find greater unity, everything changed when I first tried ChatGPT, the first conversational AI of its kind, in early January of 2023. I knew AI was on the horizon but, like so many of us, I was expecting that it would be a few more years until it was ready for prime time. As soon as I tried ChatGPT, I went from “WOW!” to “OMG!” in an instant. My dot-connecting mind was madly trying to figure out the implications of what AI would mean for humanity. Disconcertingly, many of the dots that I could rationally connect went straight down some dystopian rabbit holes. For a month or two, I was in a weird headspace. However, I was able to make it through a foreboding tunnel and out the other side. That is its own story that is worth telling. I will try to weave parts of this backstory throughout the blog series. For now, we might say my backstory is a combination of the movie, Slumdog Millionaire meets the book by Ernest Klein, Ready Player One (which was later made into the Steven Spielberg movie). The synchronicities I experienced during this difficult journey form the foundation of this Medium series. These same synchronicities also compel me to write, even if not many read what I write. My purpose is to write, and that’s just what I am going to do. You will see the references for my influences and cultural touchstones throughout this series. I will even place a few “Easter eggs” for those who like to catch some of my curious or esoteric references. The Concern Fueling My Compulsion to Write It is my firm conviction that, as a species, humanity stands at the edge of a knife. Amazing progress has been made over the past few hundred years, yet we face unprecedented, evolving challenges of mind-boggling complexity and scale. Frankly, I don’t know if humanity is ready for what we have ahead of us. To me, this is at the heart of the burning fire that compels me to write. This is why I am having the thought babies, my fellow truth-seekers. I am not claiming anything divine in the origin of the fire within me. I feel like it is a synchronicity of sorts that lit the fire that compels me to write. I have a 100% clear purpose for the first time in my life. While I can logically explain the reason for the synchronicity, the spiritual side of me…has some different feelings about it. Like I said, I could write a book on this journey alone! We Face Shared Big Challenges Ahead You might disagree with me completely about humanity’s ability to work together to overcome our big challenges, that AI is just another apocalyptic panic like the Y2K bug, and that there is no reason to worry. I understand why some people hold such views. That said, I can only speak for the truth as I see it. As I analyze our situation as carefully, honestly, and objectively as I am able, I keep landing on this concern at the root of it all: What I have seen in this world as of late has not given me great confidence that human beings will be able to work with the unity, wisdom, and skill that will be required to manage the challenges before us, particularly the evolving, proliferating power of artificial intelligence. To be totally honest, my fellow truth-seekers, my optimism is being stretched out like butter that has been scraped over too much bread. Strangely, while I am concerned about our future, I’m not paralyzed with worry. After all, fretting over uncontrollable factors won’t help. What truly matters is our collective ability to rise to these challenges, a task that starts with understanding and confronting them head-on. When I ask myself, “What can I do about these concerns?” the answer is that I must tell this story. This story includes why some of these challenges ahead will be particularly difficult for us and what we can do to overcome them. To paraphrase the great cosmologist, Carl Sagan, extraordinary challenges require extraordinary efforts. As I see it, the extraordinary challenges that lie ahead require great unity to navigate them skillfully and wisely. This, in turn, necessitates that we try to understand these challenges as clearly and objectively as we can. We cannot act skillfully if we don’t understand the problems we face. Thus, we must seek both truth and unity as we try to handle the challenges of this crazy world. “Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” Jesus, from the Gospel of John, 8:32, The New Testament (King James Version) “We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.” — Martin Luther King, Jr. Sharing Ideas with Humility “Believe those who are seeking the truth. Doubt those who find it.” — André Gide, French author and Nobel Laureate in Literature While I have a story, a concept album of ideas, to share, I do so with great humility because I believe that truth can be extremely elusive in this complicated world. So, this puts me in the awkward position of feeling compelled to share ideas I consider important, while also acknowledging the need for appropriate caveats. I will try to support what I say with citations and references whenever possible. Also, while sometimes I will make claims and predictions with utmost conviction, I am not conflating what I believe to be true with actual truth. For instance, I might say something like, “I believe ________ will happen with 100% certainty,” but I must also admit I could be wrong. These two truths can coexist, so we must not conflate them. I am, in essence, saying that, based upon my knowledge and experience, this is the way I view things currently. I will be pulling from multiple disciplines and resources to support what I will be proposing and asserting. Many of these ideas are a lifetime in the making but, as I said, a fire was lit within me in recent years as our politics have become more toxic. The advent of generative, conversational AI has turned that smoldering concern into a roaring inferno. Here’s an analogy that might be useful. Imagine I’m a meteorologist who is predicting a busy hurricane season, and I see one forming in the Atlantic Ocean. At a certain point, I might express high confidence that it will make it to the shore, yet I might not be able to predict with great accuracy where it will hit and how much damage it will cause. My concept album of thought babies is about the “hurricane” of troubles I see coming our way, and what I believe we need to do to manage these challenges skillfully. I’m not alone in recognizing these challenges. Countless others see them as well. These folks are expressing their concerns, and have their own ideas about how to tackle such challenges. However, the way I weave these ideas together and the particular way in which I will tell this story will be relatively unique. This blog series in Medium is the story, the concept album, I will be sharing. Let’s Explore and Engage Rather Than Argue In the spirit of truth-seeking in our complicated world, I invite you to join me in a journey free from argument and rigid thinking. I am not here to offend or to proclaim, “I’m right and you’re an idiot!” Instead, I wish to unite with fellow explorers and truth-seekers. If you enjoy arguing or have decided that you alone possess the truth, this series may not click with you. Similarly, if you are on the extreme end of the political spectrum, you might find this approach to flexibility challenging, or perhaps even unsettling. From the perspective I’m taking, extremism in any form can hinder the pursuit of truth in a complicated, dynamic world. Admittedly, and hypocritically, I sometimes inflexibly think that everyone needs to be more flexible! I have to keep that particular form of rigidity in check. That said, if you, too, fellow connector, let’s enjoy this journey together and support each another along the way. “Not all those who wander are lost.” — from J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Fellowship of the Ring” I know that you, my fellow truth-seekers, already possess many ideas and insights of your own. Instead of an inflexible, dichotomous approach, let’s strive for a “both/and,” non-dualistic understanding. Challenge yourself to find agreement rather than reflexive disagreement. When strong feelings arise in response to what I am saying, approach those feelings within you with curiosity. What emotional triggers might my words be hitting? Are those reactions preventing you from considering other perspectives? Remember, we are seeking general or “squishy” truths that guide us to live the Good Life in this complex world. While there will always be exceptions and “Yes, but…” counterarguments to most things I’ll discuss, I encourage you to seek useful insights even in the parts where you may disagree. What This Story Will Cover I said I have a story to tell, and I want to provide the general outline for what I intend to cover. An important caveat here is that I might deviate from this outline somewhat as new ideas, “thought babies,” and technological/political developments arise. Each topic area will contain multiple parts or several articles. Each article in the Medium series will probably be about 1500–2000 words long. In turn, each section will build upon the previous section, and I will attempt to create a very logical, reasonable flow from one idea to the next. I aim to post a new article every 1–2 weeks. Here is what I intend to cover within my story arc: The Search for Truth in a “Crazy” World: We will explore the critical role of truth-seeking as a compass to help us navigate our increasingly complicated reality. The Purpose Puzzle: We will delve into existential questions about why we are here and what our purpose might be. Modernity Madness: We will examine how the complexities and rapid changes of the modern world contribute to widespread emotional and psychological distress. I will make a case as to why I believe our “crazy” world is driving us all a bit mad. The AI Conundrum: We will explore how artificial intelligence poses unique and unprecedented challenges for humanity as it evolves and proliferates. Human Wisdom in the Age of AI: I will make a case for why we need to harness and use the best of human wisdom to help guide us in the age of artificial intelligence. Unity in Diversity: Based upon collective human wisdom for how to live “the Good Life,” I will propose actionable steps on individual and societal levels that could help us navigate the formidable challenges humanity has ahead of us. Ready to Take the Red Pill? “This is your last chance. After this, there is no turning back. You take the blue pill — the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill — you stay in Wonderland, and I show you how deep the rabbit hole goes. Remember: all I’m offering is the truth. Nothing more.” — Morpheus to Neo from the movie, “The Matrix” The “truth” that I am going to show you is not “THE truth.” The truths I will be discussing are not solely truths I am claiming as my own but are shared human truths (as I understand them). “All secrets are open secrets. Nothing is hidden. Nothing is revealed. People can only be told what they already know.” — Camden Benares, from “Zen Without Zen Masters” As it says in Ecclesiastes within the Hebrew Bible, “There is nothing new under the sun.” The biblical writer wasn’t referring to smartphones and artificial intelligence, of course. The author was highlighting the idea that humanity’s struggles — stemming from greed, arrogance, pride, hatred, jealousies, and so on — have been consistent throughout history. Moreover, the wisdom for how we should live our lives has also been with us for thousands of years. In the Buddhist story where a finger points to the moon, with the moon symbolizing The Truth, we should not mistake the finger, or the person pointing to the Truth, with the moon, or actual Truth. I am but another finger pointing to the moon. But one thing I will do a little differently is I will not only point to the moon, but I will point to many of the other fingers pointing to the same moon. I believe that various spiritual, intellectual, and artistic traditions are pointing toward the same fundamental truths about how we should live in this world. Throughout my life, I’ve encountered these different perspectives — from Christianity, Buddhism, and Taoism, to philosophy, psychology, and the sciences (particularly evolutionary psychology and biology). It doesn’t just stop there. I find these profound truths in my favorite musicians, from U2 to Rush, my favorite movies, from Blade Runner to Star Wars and The Matrix. While I might include my personal favorites, my bet is that your favorites also point to these same truths. All these different fingers pointing to the same moon suggest that the truth is already within our grasp. My own unique experiences, with some mystery sprinkled in, have given rise to these “thought babies.” Therefore, in this series, I’ll weave in cultural touchstones that have enriched my understanding, because they’ve been the fertile ground from which these ideas have sprouted. As I said, think of it as a Slumdog Millionaire meets Ready Player One fusion of ideas — connecting disparate dots to form a coherent tapestry. Humanity faces mind-bogglingly difficult challenges ahead of us. We need to rise up to these challenges and work with greater unity than perhaps we ever have before. We are connected. Our unity is our strength, and division can be our undoing in the face of these existential challenges. As Jesus warned in the synoptic Gospels of the New Testament (Matthew 12:25, Mark 3:25, Luke 11:17), “A house divided against itself cannot stand.” This story arc in Medium is about why we need to “level up” and how. Few might read what I am going to say, but I feel compelled to try. Now, you are curious as to what on Earth I am going to say, aren’t you? Well, my fellow connectors, it’s time to take the red pill and follow me to see how deep this rabbit hole goes.

Connect & Thrive Blending psychology, spirituality, science, and pop culture for fresh insights. Discover truths you already know and join a community fostering unity, not division. Your voice matters here. CONNECT NOW To play, press and hold the enter key. To stop, release the enter key. I run a company of over 1000 employees...it was the most highly rated event we’ve done all year and the line to get his book signed and talk to him afterwards was out the door. Strongly recommend Dr. Mike Brooks! Luke Larson, President of Axon What Are Your Meeting Objectives? Explore a wealth of expertise spanning technology, well-being, and unity with Dr. Mike Brooks, tailored to meet your meeting needs and inspire transformative conversations. Connection & Consciousness Choose from two Connection & Consciousness program topics READ MORE READ MORE Technology & Society Choose from two Technology & Society program topics READ MORE Mindful Living & Wellness Choose from three Mindful Living & Wellness program topics Tech Generation: Raising Balanced Kids in a Hyper-Connected World Dr. Mike Brooks, co-author of 'Tech Generation: Raising Balanced Kids in a Hyper-Connected World,' empowers parents with practical strategies for navigating the digital age. Drawing on expertise in psychology and technology, Dr. Brooks offers insights to foster healthy screen habits, strengthen parent-child relationships, and collaborate with educators. BUY NOW LET'S MEET Dr. Mike Brooks As a licensed psychologist and motivational speaker, Dr. Mike Brooks is dedicated to helping individuals and families achieve greater life balance and well-being in the digital age. Through engaging presentations and therapy sessions, Dr. Mike offers actionable insights and strategies for transcending limitations and achieving personal growth. ABOUT DR. MIKE How To Connect Speaking & Press APPEARANCES Step into a world where psychology meets connection. As a psychologist, Dr. Brooks's passion lies in sharing insights and participating in collaborative events that spread the message of unity and connection. Discover more and connect with Dr. Mike to have him be your next guest speaker! LEARN MORE Social Media CHANNELS In addition to his speaking engagements, Dr. Mike Brooks expands his reach through engaging content on TikTok and YouTube. Follow him on TikTok for bite-sized insights, and Subscribe to his YouTube channel for in-depth discussions. VIEW MORE Blog PUBLICATIONS Dr. Mike is an avid thought leader, offering a unique perspective and a captivating exploration of wisdom. Join me in the Books and Blog section for an immersive experience into the power of narrative and the pursuit of understanding. READ MORE Ready to break free from polarization and negativity? Subscribe to 'Connect With Dr. Mike Brooks' on YouTube and other social media channels now for your daily dose of positivity and growth! Enjoy bite-sized encouragement, delve into thought-provoking discussions, and more! Connecting, Together! SUBSCRIBE MEDIA SOCIAL MEDIA Latest Blogs Dr. Mike Brooks The AI Uncertainty Matrix: Navigating Science and Faith in the Age of Artificial Intelligence Science and faith have long been rivals. They collide head-on in our AI world. 6 Post not marked as liked Dr. Mike Brooks How to Find Happiness in Our Chaotic World “The world has changed. I feel it in the water. I feel it in the earth. I smell it in the air.” — Lady Galadriel from the movie, “The... 16 Post not marked as liked Dr. Mike Brooks AI Regulation: Safeguarding Our Future Together Personal Perspective: AI poses an existential threat. Here are actionable steps. 8 Post not marked as liked

Practical Transcendent Living About PTL Practical Transcendent Living (PTL) is a dynamic approach designed for thriving in our fast-paced, complex world. This book-in-progress draws on a rich tapestry of psychology, evolutionary biology, wisdom traditions, spiritual teachings, personal insights, and even pop culture, forming a mosaic of truths many of us sense but have yet to articulate. PTL will feel both familiar and new. It provides a framework for understanding and action that resonates deeply with our lived experiences and the challenges we face in this technological world. A purpose of Life At its core, PTL embraces a universal yet often overlooked purpose of life: to learn, grow, improve, and connect. This isn't to claim it as the sole purpose but to acknowledge a fundamental drive that propels us forward. Our evolutionary journey as Homo sapiens underscores this, showing us as natural learners and adapters, which are inherent traits rooted in our evolutionary need to survive and thrive. Our Evolutionary Roots and Modern Dilemmas However, the remarkable cognitive evolution that has empowered us to shape the world also presents a paradox. The very intelligence that ensured our survival has helped us create a world vastly different from that of our hunter-gatherer relatives. This disparity between our evolutionary heritage and the challenges of modern life results in what is called “evolutionary mismatch." We are now faced with challenges such as climate change, digital overload, and political polarization that our ancestors never encountered. The Progress-Happiness Paradox Our successes, while marking progress, have inadvertently deepened this mismatch, leading to what I term the "Progress-Happiness Paradox." This paradox suggests that our advancements, particularly in technology, while solving many problems, also exacerbate our sense of disconnection from our evolutionary roots, thus impacting our overall well-being. It's Not Our Fault, But It Is Our Problem Recognizing the roots of our discontent and disorientation in evolutionary mismatch offers a form of exoneration but also a call to action. It's a complex issue: the world is better than it's ever been in many ways, yet we're also facing unprecedented challenges that threaten to overwhelm us. We Need to Level Up, Humanity! The solution, then, isn't to reject modernity or progress but to elevate our approach to living within it. As we become more intertwined with technology, especially AI, our collective problems demand a new level of unity. Drawing from Carl Sagan, extraordinary challenges require extraordinary unity. This unity involves transcending our primal tribalism to foster a deeper connection with all humanity. Choosing Our Views Within the PTL approach, it is understood that how we view reality is inherently subjective. We have never viewed “reality” in ways that are aligned with “truth.” We are only able to take in a small sliver of data that is available to us at any given time.Since we’ve always viewed reality in ways that enhance our chances to survive and thrive, we must ask ourselves, what are we to do so in this modern world? We need to transcend our old ways of thinking.We transcend to connect. Thus, within PTL, we strive exercise our free will to choose ways of viewing ourselves, others, and the world in ways that foster the greater connection and unity necessitated by the challenges of this hyper-connected world of modernity The Heart of Practical Transcendent Living Ultimately, PTL advocates for a life focused on learning, growing, improving, and connecting in ways that embrace our biological and spiritual purposes. By acknowledging our interconnectedness—reflected in the concept of "interbeing" in Buddhism and paralleled across various philosophies and religions—we find the path to genuine unity and fulfillment.

21+ Years of Educating and Inspiring Audiences Dr. Mike Brooks is on a mission to bridge divides, inspire unity, and empower minds. Are you ready to be the change? Inspired Communities To play, press and hold the enter key. To stop, release the enter key. Planning your next conference or event? Want your audience to connect not only with each other but also with the world? Look no further than Dr. Mike Brooks! With a focus on navigating the digital age and finding balance with technology, he sparks conversations that leave attendees inspired and empowered. Speaking LIVE AND HYBRID EVENTS Virtual REMOTE KEYNOTES Podcast GUEST APPEARANCE Media INTERVIEWS PROGRAM TOPICS PROGRAM TOPICS LEARN MORE LEARN MORE Engagement Opportunities Dr. Mike Brooks offers versatile speaking engagements tailored to your needs, whether in live/hybrid or virtual formats. With expertise spanning various topics, Dr. Brooks delivers keynotes that inspire and enlighten audiences. Additionally, he is available as a guest on podcasts to engage in thought-provoking discussions. For media interviews, Dr. Brooks is open to inquires and appearances on news outlets, providing expert commentary on relevant topics. Explore his program topics page for insights into the expertise he covers, or contact him directly to discuss custom topics tailored to your specific audience needs and interests. His enthusiasm is contagious. He put tech into a perspective that was an enormous benefit—and relief. Dr. Brooks is a win-win in the subject of technology. Susan Newman, Ph.D. Connect with Dr. Mike Brooks Now! Contact Dr. Mike Brooks! Fill out this form, and let us know what you are interested in chatting about! First Name Last Name Email Message SUBMIT Thanks for submitting!