What am I optimistic about because of Joseph Cardijn?
What am I optimistic about?
As a technologist, historical theologian, and advocate of social justice and teachings in the spirit of Joseph Cardijn, I am now in my mid-70s and much more optimistic than in the past, strange as that may sound.
First, people are inherently good and willing to learn if education is available to them and an understanding of its value is presented to them. We have the means and capacity to create a better world with technology, especially Artificial intelligence. But we mere mortals need to remind ourselves of the meaning of being human and the difference it makes.
We are evolving our species and entering a new era of evolution. Just look at ourselves as humans 250,000 years ago. We have come a long way. The latest versions will eventually be an advancement over our present selves.
What is most exciting about the autonomous revolution and Joseph Cardijn's behavioral model is that they now present us with an understanding of the question of consciousness and its relation to matter and whether or not consciousness is a fundamental field of the universe. For the first time in our history, we are challenged to think about our consciousness, the possibility of extraterrestrial life, and whether or not we will eventually converge with other species. Now, think about that in terms of religion. Think about it in terms of the history of the world's religions. How we humans have been searching for the significant other we call God.
Now, during the upcoming week, which we call "Holy Week," as we look forward to Easter and the meaning of the Resurrection, let the idea of Artificial intelligence weave into our human consciousness and extend to God. There is a strong link between Carl Jung and AI. I would say our training in the See-Judge-Act methods will assist us in understanding the link between our evolution as humans and our oneness with the God of the universe.
Think about us as humans studying the human mind and all that comes with it: cognitive science, psychology, philosophy, religion, and consciousness. Yes, consciousness is that connection with our God.
I want all of us to focus on the meaning of resurrection and consciousness. What do we See? What do we Discern? And what does the know-how we gain tell us about how to act?
A lesson learned from all the followers of the See-Judge-Act methods is that our time now should focus on the psychology, neurosciences, philosophy, and theology that will better understand who we are as humans. What was the meaning of the Kingdom of Heaven here and now, as it was meant by Jesus' teachings and the sermon on the Mount?
Because of resurrection, we can hope that, with the evolution of emerging technology, humans will begin to rediscover the importance of philosophy and theology in understanding reality, especially consciousness.
Our emerging awareness of conscious experience is a source of data we should harness to understand our evolution better. We should take it as seriously as the data that comes out of life experiments of the use of technology.
We'll inevitably reach this point because we can't adequately understand consciousness in any other way. Remember that consciousness is our link to the Universal Christ. It will revolutionize how we think about science, reality, what it means to be human, and the difference it makes.