Be Real

“Artificial Intelligence” is sure getting a lot of airtime right now. From curiosity to fear to spawning dreams of laziness or riches, it depends a lot on what you have heard or read about it. We are especially seeing it in media, spawning all sorts of new weird or disgusting advertising, again, depending on how you look at it. It almost seems that it can take some of the worst aspects of something and make it even worse. 

I tend to use the dictation mode on my iPhone to create and send texts, or to record notes, as the phone will hear my voice and put into text what I am saying. You'd better proofread what comes out because it can come up with some doozies! 

Another place you see it is in music videos. I enjoy my music. But to hear completely AI-generated songs, with both instruments and vocals done entirely digitally, is pretty creepy to me. Some of it is even quite good, in both the illusion that it is real people singing and playing, or in the words and music of the song itself. 

But something is missing. There is a human aspect of life that is what really gives it flavor. 

What if you had only a “perfect” world to observe every day? What about the human flaws we see around us all the time, even in ourselves? 

I refer to myself for a number of years now as a “reformed perfectionist.” It's because I used to strive for perfection in many ways. But that is awfully tiresome. Then you get married, even to a perfect wife. Then…you have kids. And dogs. And jobs. And customers. And stuff. 

So I have largely given up on perfection, at least in this world. The God I believe in is perfect. His love is perfect. But here in this life, it's good to achieve “good enough” in so many things. Perfection is just too demanding, and annoying, and troublesome. Don't get me wrong, though. In some things perfection is important, and to be demanded. Like the amounts of medications in each pill, or the dosage given during anesthesia, or stuff like that. Or tolerances for critical engine parts. 

The point is, I have really learned to appreciate the imperfections of life, where tolerable. It makes life less of a bother and far more enjoyable. And if you ever have demanded or expected perfection of others, this is where it is especially helpful to just back off, and expect less. You will be far less disappointed, and possibly a much happier person. 

Thanks be to God!