Avainsana: artificial intelligence

Zen and the Art of Dissatisfaction – Part 34

marras 28, 2025

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by

senseimikko

in Zen and the Art of Dissatisfaction

In the face of climate change, technological advancements, and social inequities, simple spiritual practices offer guidance. Eastern philosophies highlight interconnectedness, encouraging peace within and without. Embracing sorrow leads to meaningful action, fostering awareness and compassion. A peacemaker listens, acts responsibly, and strives for justice, ultimately contributing to a more harmonious future.
Zen and the Art of Dissatisfaction – Part 33

marras 8, 2025

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by

senseimikko

in Zen and the Art of Dissatisfaction

The Eastern Band of Cherokee experienced remarkable transformations after opening a profitable casino, providing community members with a form of unconditional basic income. This financial security led to significant improvements in children’s mental health, behavior, and school performance, reinforcing the idea that poverty stems from lack of resources, not personal failings.
Zen and the Art of Dissatisfaction – Part 31

loka 25, 2025

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by

senseimikko

in Zen and the Art of Dissatisfaction

The discussion on Universal Basic Income (UBI) highlights its potential as financial security amid automation. However, Kai-Fu Lee advocates for a Social Investment Stipend focused on caregiving, community service, and education. As AI evolves, embracing non-traditional work and ensuring equitable wealth distribution becomes vital for societal resilience and compassion.
Zen and the Art of Dissatisfaction – Part 30

loka 8, 2025

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by

senseimikko

in Zen and the Art of Dissatisfaction

Universal Basic Income (UBI) aims to alleviate poverty and adapt to economic shifts due to AI-driven unemployment. Advocates include influential figures like Musk and Bregman, who highlight its potential societal benefits. However, opposition persists regarding the nature of work, necessitating commitment from wealthy individuals for successful implementation and future evolution in employment definitions.
Zen and the Art of Dissatisfaction – Part 28

syys 17, 2025

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by

senseimikko

in Zen and the Art of Dissatisfaction

AI Unemployment Artificial‑intelligence‑driven unemployment is becoming a pressing topic across many sectors. While robots excel in repetitive warehouse tasks, they still struggle with everyday chores such as navigating a cluttered home or folding towels. Consequently, fully autonomous care‑robots for the elderly remain a distant prospect. Nevertheless, AI is already reshaping professions that require long training…
Zen and the Art of Dissatisfaction – Part 26

syys 1, 2025

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by

senseimikko

in Zen and the Art of Dissatisfaction

The battle for AI supremacy among tech giants centers around data access, raising ethical concerns about privacy and the hidden exploitation of micro-workers. Advanced algorithms manipulate user behavior for profit, often promoting misinformation. Regulatory awareness and ethical frameworks are crucial to ensure technology serves human interests rather than addiction and division.
Zen and the Art of Dissatisfaction – Part 25

elo 22, 2025

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by

senseimikko

in Zen and the Art of Dissatisfaction

The post examines the implications of exponential technological growth on humanity, focusing on automation, artificial intelligence, and biotechnology. It discusses philosophical dilemmas regarding human dependency on machines, referencing Moore’s law and transhumanism. Central questions involve the balance between technological progress and preserving human autonomy amid rapid advancements in AI capabilities and societal changes.
Zen and the Art of Dissatisfaction – Part 24

elo 13, 2025

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by

senseimikko

in Zen and the Art of Dissatisfaction

The concept of work in Western societies has evolved yet remains fundamentally unchanged, leading to dissatisfaction due to excessive labor and inadequate compensation. Automation and AI pose significant threats to both manual and skilled professions, raising ethical concerns. The future of work depends on balancing technological advances with human interests.
Zen and the Art of Dissatisfaction – 23

elo 4, 2025

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by

senseimikko

in Zen and the Art of Dissatisfaction

This post analyzes the implications of data-driven decision-making in today’s high-paying jobs, elucidating the risks of complex versus simple algorithms. It showcases how automation threatens both unskilled and skilled labor while discussing the ethical dilemmas surrounding AI’s role in professional sectors such as law and medicine, stressing the need for transparency and fairness.
Zen and the Art of Dissatisfaction – Part 22

heinä 18, 2025

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by

senseimikko

in Zen and the Art of Dissatisfaction

This post examines the evolution and impact of artificial intelligence, particularly large language models, in sectors like healthcare and marketing. It discusses key examples such as IBM’s Watson and Google Flu Trends, highlighting the importance of human oversight despite AI’s advancements. The risks and promises of AI in decision-making are also addressed.

Navigating the Times of Crisis

In a rapidly changing world, where the climate crisis, technological advancements, and social inequality loom large, many may feel overwhelmed by the forces shaping our future. Yet, in the face of such challenges, simple spiritual practices can offer us ways to navigate uncertainty and find meaning. Drawing on Eastern philosophy, we are reminded that the pursuit of peace, both within ourselves and in the world, is a path we can all walk.

Photo: Buddhist monk Sokan Obara, 28, from Morioka, Iwate prefecture, prays for the victims in an area devastated by the earthquake and tsunami, in Ofunato, Iwate prefecture, April 7. Unknown photographer.

According to some estimates, our planet is heading towards a hothouse Earth scenario, where runaway climate change threatens the future of human civilisation (Steffen et al., 2018). This process will particularly affect the global South, countries that continue to bear the brunt of colonialism’s harmful legacy, yet have contributed the least to global warming, rising sea levels, and environmental degradation.

The Challenge of Our Time: Climate Crisis and Technology

The rise of artificial intelligence (AI) and its reliance on algorithms may also lead to large tech companies becoming the global decision-makers, shaping the economy and politics of the world. This shift could pose an existential challenge to the global South, as demand for human manual labour diminishes, further exacerbating social inequities.

But should we panic and give up hope? Is a hedonistic ”live for today” attitude the only remaining solution?

Philosopher David Loy (2019) has been exploring for decades the answers Eastern philosophies may offer to help us navigate these challenges. One such concept is the bodhisattva ideal, which originates from Sanskrit and refers to an awakened being who recognises the interconnectedness of all life. The bodhisattva understands that their well-being is intricately linked to the well-being of the world as a whole.

An embodiment of this ideal is Kanzeon (also known as Avalokiteśvara in Sanskrit and Guanyin in Chinese), a figure often depicted with a thousand arms, symbolising the countless ways in which this figure reaches out to help those in need. Another popular figure embodying the bodhisattva’s compassion is Hotei (also known as Budai in Chinese), a joyful, portly monk carrying a large bag, from which he pulls out healing remedies for the world’s suffering—whether it be a bandage for a fallen child or a new kidney for the ill.

Embracing Sorrow: The First Step Towards Action

The destruction of biodiversity and the decline of democracy are deeply sorrowful realities. Accepting this sorrow is the first step toward constructive action. As the great Joanna Macy (2021) reminded us, we are saddened by the loss of ecological diversity because we care. Our hearts break, and yet it is precisely our hearts that allow us to take action.

Acceptance of sorrow may lead us to take meaningful steps toward creating a better, fairer future. Paradoxically, to help the world, we must first let go and turn inward. The path of the peacemaker has two sides. One must care for their own well-being and strive to awaken to the oneness of life, but one should also aknowledge their own responsibility in the oneness of life and act accordingly.

The most basic spiritual practice that can help us on this path is mindfulness, which can begin with simply sitting in silence and staying aware of the open nature of our own mind. Through this practice, we can observe not just the sensations of our body, but also the nature of our mind. While suffering and dissatisfaction may not disappear, we can examine our relationship with them. Over time, our relationship with our innate dissatisfaction may change.

This process can also unveil the awareness that the nature of our mind is unknown to us. All the thoughts and emotions that arise in our mind come from someplace we cannot know – from the unknown. This insight may lead us to consider that the same interplay of consciousness occurs across all life forms. All beings have thoughts, ideas, and feelings, yet we cannot know exactly what another experiences.

American Zen teacher Bernie Glassman (1998) reminded that we need to let go of our preconceived notions and ideas and trust the Not-Knowing. The next step in the peacemaker’s path is listening or Bearing Witness. We must pause for a moment and pay attention to what is happening around us, to what others are trying to communicate. Stopping to listen to others’ perspectives may challenge our previous assumptions, attitudes, and beliefs. The third step is action – Loving Action that arises from this process of not-knowing and deep listening.

The Peacemaker’s Responsibility

A peacemaker responds to each situation in a way that is appropriate. When one realises they are interconnected with everything, one feels that they also have personal responsibility. If we are tired, we must rest. If we are hungry, we must eat. We care for our children, ensuring they are picked up from daycare, fed, and put to bed on time. We help those who fall.

Every day, we can ask ourselves: what can we do for others – since others are ourselves.

A peacemaker may also come to see that the systems in place often work for the benefit of few and to cause harm the oneness of life. They may feel compelled to influence these unjust systems, helping others realise, through their own example, that the current system damages life and its interconnectedness. The peacemaker does not demand change forcefully nor does they try to impose their will on everyone else. The peacemaker listens to all perspectives and seeks to show, through their own actions, the interconnectedness and oneness of life.

The Struggle for Change

But how do we act in a world full of injustice and suffering? We often try to force others to change their minds and behave differently. But will that lead to the outcome we desire? The peacemaker’s ideal involves helping others through not-knowing, listening, and taking loving action. Through this process, they hope to find the best solutions for the wholeness of life. The peacemaker is not just hoping for change, but becomes the change themselves.

This kind of action is exceedingly difficult. The easiest solution may be to demand change, but would that help anyone realise the harm their actions cause? Mahatma Gandhi’s concept of civil disobedience and nonviolent resistance aimed to make the opposition recognise the wrongness of their violent actions. Nonviolent resistance has brought about significant change in the world when enough people collectively stand behind a cause.

However, we do not need to start by changing everything. We do not need to be Gandhi today. First, we must learn to know ourselves. Despite knowing much about the workings of the human brain and mind, we often fail to understand our own mind. We think of ourselves as the rulers of our own mind and consciousness, but we are barely gatekeepers. Even as gatekeepers, we often wander aimlessly through our minds like Snufkin in the Moomin stories.

The first appropriate step on the peacemaker’s path may simply be to sit down and be quiet for a moment.

Conclusion

The journey of a peacemaker is not easy, nor it is straight forward. It requires us to embrace sorrow, realise our interconnectedness, and take action in small and large ways. But ultimately, it is through open awareness of the nature of our mind, and compassion that we can navigate the complexities of the diversity of the world and contribute to a more peaceful and just future for all life.

References

Glassman, Bernie (1998). Bearing Witness: A Zen Master’s Lessons in Making Peace. Bell Tower.
Loy, D. R. (2019). Ecodharma: Buddhist Teachings for the Ecological Crisis. Wisdom Publications.
Macy, J. (2021). Active Hope: How to Face the Mess We’re in without Going Crazy. New World Library.
Steffen, W., Rockström, J., Richardson, K., Lenton, T. M., Folke, C., Liverman, D., … & Schellnhuber, H. J. (2018). Trajectories of the Earth System in the Anthropocene. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 115(33), 8252-8259. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1810141115