Dear LWP Readers,
As we come up on India’s Independence Day on 15th August, we have just published an excerpt from a very special speech by Sri Aurobindo in which he described his communion with God while he was in jail during the freedom struggle and discussed how India must rise up for the protection of Sanatana Dharma.
On the 15th, we will also be publishing a special article on Sri Aurobindo as 15 August also happens to be his birth anniversary.
(FYI, you can sign-up to receive these newsletters in your inbox weekly. Do follow us on Facebook too where we share some original and some timeless quotes each week.)
Weekly Digest
Here’s some highlights from the past week on LWP:
– The Gundestrup cauldron and the Pashupati seal. The Etruscan murals and Indra’s city. The Egyptian terracottas depicting Harpocrates and bal-Krishna. The list goes on. Read Part 2 of Subhash Kak’s fascinating article on how Indic ideas crossed over to Europe and pervaded Graeco-Roman thought and society: From Vedanta to Plato: the Deep Links between India and Europe (Part 2)
– Ganesh Varadharajan shared his reflections on our reflections of ourselves that constitute our ego-personality in his article Perception: The Wayfinder. Clarity of perception arises when one is guided by a higher power and Truth.
– Shruti Bakshi on Why the Meatless Impossible Burger Does Little for Humanity. Is the intention behind meat substitutes really satvik or do they detract from the deeper, authentic motivations of a vegetarian lifestyle?
– Are there limits to our reason or is reason all we must rely on? Reflecting back on Swami Vivekananda’s extremely eloquent and compelling explanation in Science of Religion.
– An unconventional and touching musical tribute to Devi, Shakti or the Mother Goddess by Western born kirtan singer Krishna Das. Likely to bring a tear to your eye.
From the LWP Forum
Here’s some food for thought from our brand new LWP forum. Do register on the forum and share your thoughts on this and other discussion topics!
Thoughts on AI – the Mother of all Disruptions!
post by Shruti Bakshi:
I came across this article recently on how AI is going to be the mother of all disruptions:Â https://www.city-journal.org/html/mother-all-disruptions-15251.html
It brought up a lot of questions for me that I think are worth discussing on a forum such as this.Â
The march of AI seems inevitable but are we confident that the people who wield the power of this technology have the requisite consciousness to ensure it is used responsibly? We’re anyway struggling (and often failing) to not be slaves to the technology we already have, especially our laptops and phones. If AI is going to storm into our lives, there’s many questions we need to start looking at right about now:
– Are we happy for robots to prepare and serve our food? Do we value the human touch which in something like serving food embodies a transferring of emotion like love and caring and essentially, life?
– Are we ready to grant a universal basic income? The top 1% may be OK with it but the rest may require a major shift in perspective.
– How would people displaced by AI spend their time? Do we need to get used to new age trends like YouTube celebrities, gaming stars, etc? Would this lead to everyone ultimately just doing things they like?
– Do we need to rethink how we measure our successes as a race/civilisation? Human lives, being part of nature must have their ebb and flow. Are we OK with analysts and experts wanting to see graphs that only go up – constantly rising production, productivity, incomes, etc.?
Ultimately I think the most important reaction to the threat of AI should be for humanity to search ever more deeply for what it is in us that cannot be digitised and mechanised – the search for that humanity and consciousness should be more on fire than ever.
Interested to hear other views.
Join in the discussion here.
As always, I look forward to your comments, feedback, suggestions and article contributions. Do share this with those you think may be interested so that they can also and join the wiser-living movement!
Wishing you a lovely Sunday wherever in the world you may be!
Warm regards,
Shruti Bakshi
Editor, the LivingWise Project
