The returning runner…
Act 61 – Next…
It wasn’t my best effort. Charles Elliott running out front seemed within grasp, but I balked at the ruggedness of the terrain. Not wanting to push the steep little downhills, I couldn’t come close to making it up on the flatter stretches. So… a second overall in a small 5k and first by several minutes in the 60-69 group. Meh…
But there, in front of me as I cooled down, I spotted granddaughter Claire (5 years old) frolicking, dancing, running, with our White Lab Beau. It was too perfect. Claire was imitating me running up the hills while Beau darted at her side.
This warmed my heart but also sent me into deep thought. What would our grandchildren’s lives be like? What would their grandchildren’s? Already, too many are severely out of shape – addicted to video games and a soft lifestyle. My connection to my grandparents was forged by stories of raising a family during the great depression. No “soft” there… My dad’s best friend when I was very young was the Lakota Sioux warrior Billy Mills. He was, of course, a butt-kicker. I spoke with a Native American dentist a couple of years ago who lamented that multiple full-ride dental school scholarships went unclaimed by Native American students who simply couldn’t accept the effort involved (certainly not a problem unique to Native Americans - just an example). With AI and now realistic potential of robots in our homes in the short-term horizon, will we simply stop caring about doing anything meaningful?
“Kyle Reese: Listen, and understand! That Terminator is out there! It can't be bargained with. It can't be reasoned with. It doesn't feel pity, or remorse, or fear. And it absolutely will not stop... ever, until you are dead!” – Terminator, 1984
I don’t think AI or robots will need to kill us. We will go out with a whimper. We will simply stop caring enough to bother with. With a future where fusion may provide for unlimited energy and increasing automation (I read that McDonald’s can reduce a staff of 50 to 5 with full automation) there simply won’t be enough work to do. Adults raised without a work ethic will rapidly transition from the 1 child family to the 0 child family.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Well, today, I will take fresh air in the morning, birds chirping, a 5-year-old smiling, and a White Labrador laughing along with her and call it a good day…(even if I got my butt kicked).
Photo: Clair, Beau, and me “play” running.