An Unreal World

When it comes to dreams, from my youth onward, I have never unnecessarily put much if any energy, faith, need or time in finding meaning, symbolism, nor a message in them; because, for me, sometimes a dream is only that, a dream, merely something to entertain us while we are asleep, nothing more.

However, whether or not there is meaning, symbolism or a message to be ascertained from a particular dream, I have always found it best to not allow it to overly dominate my thoughts or behavior one way or another. Instead, I might sometimes allow it to slowly brew on the backburner within my mind and, if there is something pertinent to eventually be applied, use it to help be an informational guide concerning how, where and when it could be needed either at the moment or somewhere down the road.

In addition, having long been a fan of quality science fiction (sci-fi) books and movies, it is no surprise that during my sleep this morning I found myself in the midst of what could be defined as a sci-fi induced world, something somewhat akin to the series of The Matrix and The Terminator movies and possibly even the Invasion of the Body Snatchers movie and its various remakes.

Independent of those or other such movies, however and without wading too deeply into the specific details of it, the version within this dream of mine was, while based on artificial intelligence (AI) along the lines of The Matrix and The Terminator movies, devoid of anything mechanical or machine-like and was entirely virtual, yet still seemingly very real. 

In the dream, it was not always possible to discern what or who was real and what or who wasn’t and, at least initially, what or whom was menacing humankind.

It eventually became clear, though, that we had fallen victim to an ever growing dependence on technology and especially on AI. In the end, the only way to ensure our survival and to free ourselves, we had to depend upon each other and ourselves, not on technology or AI.

That stated, if there is a moral to be found in the story within the dream, it seemed that it was not so much the fault of technology or AI itself, but of our growing dependence and over reliance on these in our daily lives.

One sad note within the dream was, due to the high level of distrust that had arisen among the survivors, because no one knew who or what to believe in and trust in any longer; once those of us who had managed to survive, not having perished at the virtual hands of AI and after gaining our freedom once again, we each went our separate ways and no longer depended on each other.

Thus, there was no actual victory or true win for humankind after all. We lost something vital. Common ground as well as interdependence between each other.

Recently, unrelated to the above, while on a site visit dressed as roaming Santa in the real world, I had a rather lengthy conversation with someone who while speaking on the topic of the spirit of holidays and its true meaning as well as holiday gatherings in general, they mentioned about how a family would gather for a holiday and be so consumed and occupied by texting, calling and otherwise using their cell or track phones for one thing or another that they did not engage with each other, at all.

At a gathering, family or otherwise, at least to my way of thinking, it would be best to collect all the cell or track phones at the door and that using electronic devices during the gathering be put aside until afterwards.

The problem is, however, some people think that they will miss out on something important or so they justify it in this manner. By not setting aside the technology, though, they are missing out on something far more important, each other.

Otherwise, we risk becoming servants to technology rather than having it serve us and certain of our needs.

While it is true that technology can sometimes enhance communication between people, when properly employed, it is not a substitute for face-to-face communication and interaction, something that technology and AI cannot replace, nor should it. 

It should also be noted that this not only holds true for when we are with others, but also when we are by ourselves. It is imperative that we make as well as take ample time and put aside the electronic devices and enjoy the space of being by and in better touch with ourselves as well as each other while it can be afforded.