Comments by "Curious Crow" (@CuriousCrow-mp4cx) on "Why Modern Life Feels So Empty" video.

  1. I don't blame him. Han writes clearly, accessibly, but not reductibly about complex things, and he's a prolific writer. Even if you feel unable to agree with his conclusions, it will not from being confused or bored. His books are short and he writes without meandering from his purpose. Ably assisted by his translators and editors of course, because he writes in German. Give him a go.
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  2. I think you misunderstand ritual. It's simply that repeating an action with intent legitimises it's importance to you. An effective ritual is not based on the external props, but on its meaning for you at the time you carry it out. So you may, every anniversary of the death of someone you care about, and go and light a candle in a Catholic church. All you might do is find an open Catholic Church, walk up to the candle stand before the Virgin Mary, drop some coins in the money box, take a candle from the stack, light it from another lit candle, and then put it in the candle holder. And stand in silence for a few moments. You might pray a short prayer and whisper "I miss you, love." And then turn around and go home. The more you repeat those actions the more you strengthen the importance of the person you commemorate. Ritual takes you out of the hustle and bustle of your daily existence and give you space to affirm what is important to you. Ritual is so potent because our cognition has evolved to pay attention to patterns. And Repetitions Legitimation And the ritual can be as banal as Going to a football game with your mates every Saturday, every season, year after year, after year. Or wearing a piece of jewellery someone special gave you. Or carrying photo in you wallet of someone you love. Your lucky socks for interviews. Whatever. It makes you present, intentional, and focused in that moment. You are truly here. That's the point. You're not on auto-pilot, but creating and reinforcing meaning for yourself. All the actions and props are to keep you in that state of mind, until you are purposefully ready to return to the fray. You don't need to make a fuss or go big. Just be intentional about it, and repeat it.
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  3. We are human, in whatever context we find ourselves in. You think we haven't been here before? What do you think the 1st Industrial Revolution did? It wrecked people's livelihoods, sometimes forcing artisnal workers to surrender their independence and become machine minders in factories, earning less, and at the beck and call of their employers. And it will keep on happening because we fetishsize profit and efficiency. But unless we find meaning in our inherent humanity we cannot organise for AI to be used not only to eliminate workers, but to augment human skills. If you don't think you are worth more, then your right. If you think removing humanity from the equation is unnecessary to a degree and detrimental to progress, then you're right. But you have to do something, even if it is actually deeply and constructively thinking about the subject, because you need to survive, right? Then you need to decide how, and even more why you want to.
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