The future is eclectic

A couple days ago, my good friend @riverflows penned an interesting post (which is nothing new, since all of them, without fail, are) that really stayed with me. What are we all working towards?

Is a hypothetical question, since I've never held a 9-to-5, and while that may be atypical to some, it's not atypical around me, so I'm quite alright with it. Still, obviously, I worry sometimes that my life lacks security, and when I was younger, I thought that was all down to choices, but now, I see it's more complex and is partly to do with who I am as a person. And how, perhaps, I'm more suited to a life where there's some not knowing.

More than in others' lives, although to be fair, the job stuff is a rather great unknown to everybody, isn't it? Particularly at this moment, and I know we don't want to be to stessed out about AI, but I'm still not sure we're right about that, you know. I'm trying to rearrange the experience I offer recently, so I've been interacting more with businessy people, the kind of people I've had little tangent with before.

I admit I take great comfort in seeing what a huge discussion unemployment is at the moment, at least in my country. Personally, I was never a fan of how we tie our self-worth to the positions we occupy. I think it's crazy that we've created a society where we do meaningless jobs and think that defines us as human beings (I understand the worth and meaning in doing something that serves the community in some way, but let's be honest, a lot of corporate jobs today don't).

And even more comfort in seeing the way we're still sort of refusing to acknwoledge it and change accordingly. I do figure the future (as crazy as it may be) would be easier for someone like me to stomach, when I've never lived inside 'the norm', nor expected to ever do so, than for someone who spent 18 years being educated as to how things work and what steps to follow to do well in life.

Years ago, while we were still university-age, I looked around me and wondered why these schools were teaching young people for jobs that woult be obsolete in 10 years time. Now, about halfway in, I look around and don't think I was wrong on that.

What constitutes "a good life"?

Not stuff, surely, though we've already established that.
Rainy day coverage, sure, although we live in deeply uncertain times. I dare say it's a bit presumptious of me to worry about 50 years from now, when 5 doesn't seem to be guaranteed or in any way secure.

Comfort is another popular one. A private car, dental, the latest MacBook. So I guess stuff does figure into it somehow.

Experiences. Which I recognize I fit in a way, as someone who's always got one eye on the next departure. And maybe I'm just lying to myself, but to me, that's freedom, the ability to go anywhere. To see. To experience. Which is different than accumulating experiences. Nowadays, traveling has become a sport of sorts. How many destinations can you tick off this year, just to say you've done them or just to sound exotic?

The big word. Freedom. I was thinking about this the other night. It's important to remember periodically what the goal is, and for me, it's always been freedom. The ability to wear what you want. To be where you want (and that includes work, yes, but not in the way most people think). To choose. To leave.

I get the feeling that's what's gonna matter more in ten uncertain years than things I don't feel I desire at the moment, including security. I'm sure that's in view of being young, perhaps not understanding enough about the world yet. Then again, I don't think I'm alone.

I just think for me, right now, the uncertainty is more palpable, more obvious, but by no means isolated. None of us are promised tomorrow, not from a life perspective, and not from a job perspective, either.

I watched AI take over copywriting. Was it because I wasn't good or unschooled? Not really. It's just what happened. Is there a way to predict or prevent what gets taken over in the next ten years? Not on a personal level. All that seems left to do, both humans I talk to and AI seem to agree, is focus on the skills that allow you transience, fluidity.

To read broadly, and more importantly, really think about what you read and how that applies to the world you inhabit. To allow yourself the freedom (and implicit danger) of thinking outside the norms you grew up with, of stepping outside traditional roles, because they are changing, probably faster than we expect.

I asked ChatGPT what fields would be taken over, and how to best spend the next five years if you want to avoid that. It pointed me to routine cognitive work, entry-level white-collar roles that follow templates and pure “knowledge recall” professions as most at risk. It persisted in the idea that fields that require human interaction are less likely to be automated, and I guess that's so. Then again, until recently, most fields required some form of human interaction - who decides which will continue though?

As for what to do, it advised what I'd already assumed. As I was saying, read broadly and learn to think critically, unfortunately things that are not particularly encouraged in our old world model. Learn how to use AI beyond treating it as a Google replacement.

It finished by pointing out AI replaces tasks and not professions. Except, when we have commodized humans to mere performers of tasks, what will that mean for our future?

I've gone on and rambled again. I was going to do a short post with a #threetunetuesday segment. Oh well. Here's what I've been listening to lately (hi, @ablaze!).

Back in my Miley era. Fuck it.

Liking this girl telling everyone to fuck off.

Amazing to write to.