|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
It was five years ago when I first ventured into the world of Western philosophy. Socrates, the history of philosophy, Nietzsche—they drew me in, sparking a journey I could never have anticipated. Then came the “dark night of the soul.” For three years, I wept over memories and realizations that shattered the illusions I had built my life upon. I lost the protective shell of cultural norms, found myself naked and afraid, stripped of everything I thought defined me.
It was Jung who came to my rescue, wrapping me in the wisdom of his Red Book. He showed me that this was not the end but the way of life itself—a necessary unraveling to uncover deeper truths. Through him, I was introduced to the wondrous, chaotic, and transformative world of the psyche.
As a digital marketer, software engineer, and later, an entrepreneur, I had not been walking this path of inner knowledge. But with every challenge I faced, every “hill” I climbed, I began to glimpse the “mountain” ahead—towering peaks of wisdom, winding paths of mystery. Hegel’s dialectics taught me to embrace contradiction; the Tao Te Ching revealed the power of formlessness. When I stood stripped bare, wisdom clothed me in its harsh but ultimately warm reality.
Then AI arrived.
Yuval Noah Harari’s words haunted me: “The world as we know it will end.” A new form of life would emerge. Jobs would disappear, and humanity would grapple with pandemics, wars, and the rise of artificial intelligence. The scariest realization was that AI would imitate us. I found myself asking:
Am I worthy of imitation?
Do I know what is right and what is wrong?
How can I prevent the manipulation of malevolent AI systems?
Am I even aware of where I stand in the grand map of existence?
These questions forced me to dive deeper, to map the meaning of life—not just for myself but for the emerging world. Today, I understand that I am a traveler on this infinite mountain of being. The journey has no destination, only the way itself. And along the way, I have discovered one enduring truth:
Everything is love. And love, in its highest form, is always in service to life.
So, with this reflection, I offer my gratitude:
To death, for teaching me the impermanence and beauty of the journey.
To all beings who love life, for their courage to endure.
To life itself, for allowing me the privilege to walk this endless road.
Salute to the way. Salute to love. Salute to life.