Machine Mind
Posted by Rob Kistner | Filed under Essay, Free Verse, Image, Poetry, Tanka, art, collage, dark, humor, humor noir, love, mystery, photo, photorendering, rhyme, science fiction, suspense, tragedy, wisdom
the August 9th prompt at Big Tent Poetry,
the August 11th prompt at Three Word Wednesday,
and prompt #65 at Carry On Tuesday.
they didn’t stop to think if they should…”
Dr. Ian Malcolm
•
you wink awake at morning’s light
beckoning me to focused task
prompting me of promise
you collaborate
in my keeping touch
in work dispatched
in thoughts transcribed
in matters pure creative
you are my portal into virtual space
to probe mysteries
the vast unknown
the tool I wield
to unearth facts
dig the dirt
to search for truth
tightly spun
within the web
you tend my life
make all cogs turn
my instrument of whim
device of my distraction
are you my submissive
or master of my will
when you’ve surpassed my vision
will you serve me still
have I the power to shut you down
turn my back
walk away
to truly let you keep
in the deep subconscious
does your machine mind
really sleep
• • •
TechReGret
(a lighthearted tanka)
•
my laptop’s frozen
and my cell phone’s out of range
it’s at these times when
I think how life used to be
hand-written letters have soul
• • •
rob kistner © 2010
IN CLOSING: We live a in a world immersed, if not drowning, in technology. The idealistic and naive early vision was to create technology to serve us, make life easier, less complicated – but the joke is on us. We now serve the technology, and life is more complicated — traveling at a pace we struggle to keep up with. We’ve leveraged our peace of mind in the misguided pursuit of leisure. Is there a remedy? If we do not open a global dialog focused at finding ‘balance’, the situation will, I believe, resolve itself – and the world will not like, and may not survive, the ultimate solution.
As James Martin, one of our great modern thinkers and author of the “The Meaning of the 21st Century” points out in his most optimistic and uplifting book, man stands on the threshold of either the greatest era in human history, or the end of life as we know it - the outcome rests in our hands.
I wrote an essay back in 2007 which deals with humankind’s strange relationship with the technology we’ve created. You can click here if you would like to read it. …rob
August 11th, 2010 at 4:09 am
From Arthur C. Clarke to Frank Herbert to The Terminator that’s been a question for the ages. Welcome to the Dark Side (we have cookies!)
Nicely turned Rob.
August 11th, 2010 at 4:11 am
The mind is indeed a wonderful and mysterious machine!
August 11th, 2010 at 5:01 am
Excellent post on ‘mind.’ I wonder too if one’s mind is submissive or master of will. Lots of ideas to ponder.
August 11th, 2010 at 6:40 am
this brings to mind REM’s “World Leader Pretend” and the lyrics, “Let my machine talk to me…” And your final question is one we need all contemplate.
Elizabeth
August 11th, 2010 at 8:25 am
I like where you went with this. I keep going back and forth, are you talking about a computer, or your own mind? Both? It’s a great read.
~Brenda
August 11th, 2010 at 9:43 am
Yo Mojo, thank you for your kind words — and yes, it has been a matter of speculation and inquiry for years, and I might argue that we are further from an understanding than ever. Humankind at large today is every bit the servant of the machine as was ever conjectured by the deep thinkers of the past. It may not be as overt as say Skynet - but society is certainly in the ‘grip’ of the net, and dependent upon and driven by the ‘machine mind’ we have created… and we have no way to turn it off. As individuals, we can hold our personal opinions as to the good and bad of the issue — but it cannot be denied, nor should it be overlooked…
…rob
August 11th, 2010 at 9:55 am
But Mary, is the network-connected ‘machine mind’ that we humans have created a wonderful thing? We are so dependent upon it and it drives our lives at a pace which we find nearly impossible to maintain, without great stress. I find the epidemics of stress, depression, violence, depersonalization, isolationism, substance addictions, and misguided fundamentalism rather easy to understand. I am not a Luddite, but I am concerned by what I see…
…rob
August 11th, 2010 at 9:57 am
Thank you Diane — we have so many many things to ponder as humans in our modern world… I hope we begin to truly reflect very soon…
…rob
August 11th, 2010 at 10:00 am
I am growing wary ElizaBeth that our ‘machines’ no longer ‘care’ if they talk to us, other than to issue directives…
…rob
August 11th, 2010 at 10:07 am
Thank you Brenda, and back and forth is precisely where I hoped the reader would go. The ambiguity and blurred line between our human mind and the artificial ‘machine minds’ that permeate and impact our lives, is the focus of this piece. For large percentages of our society, separating the organic and machine mind is proving more and more difficult. The even larger question is — which mind is growing dominant and which is becoming subservient… I find it an interesting and critical inquiry…
…rob
August 11th, 2010 at 1:15 pm
I need to think a while on this one… wasn’t quite ready for it today! Thanks for the nudge, Rob.
August 11th, 2010 at 1:42 pm
Not ready for the topic I covered, is that what you mean Julie?
…rob
August 11th, 2010 at 5:23 pm
Outstanding poetry with vitally important food for thought. A balance is desperately needed. We must not sacrifice our humanity — connection, ethics, kindness, warmth — to technological development.
August 11th, 2010 at 6:56 pm
Thank you Thomma for the gracious and thoughtful comments — we must not lose our humanity…
…rob
August 11th, 2010 at 7:06 pm
This has a depth to it that catches you as you read, think. Such an important discussion on humanity. Nicely done.
August 12th, 2010 at 1:09 am
I am pleased this reached you Thom, and appreciate your comments…
…rob
August 12th, 2010 at 7:01 am
Will I forget how to write with a pen on a piece of paper.. my fingers have started moving very fast on key board..and my mind has almost become a machine.. but I am happy because that has made me start thinking from my heart.. loved it ..and it so inspired to think differently. ..God bless..
August 12th, 2010 at 8:47 am
Chilling, somehow…
tumbled thoughts in a silver tumbler
August 12th, 2010 at 9:47 am
nice.. i like this one.. does the mind really sleep..? chilling thoughts..
August 12th, 2010 at 1:13 pm
What a sobering truth. Nicely written.
This makes me sad while I know that like so many others, I am stuck…I do depend on technology, and I can’t help it…don’t want to, while I know it can be as caustic as that super sized fry.
August 12th, 2010 at 8:04 pm
Thank you Ramesh… the faster we move the more we pass by, and the less we observe… it takes time for a beautiful oak to take root…
…rob
August 12th, 2010 at 8:06 pm
I find it chilling Gautami, and it gives me pause — we’re losing the art of rich, casual conversation… lost in our sound byte world…
…rob
August 12th, 2010 at 8:30 pm
Thank you Leo…
…rob
August 12th, 2010 at 8:32 pm
We are all swept up in the momentum K, as our pace of living accelerates more and more — time will tell if all this rushing into the future was wise…
…rob
August 13th, 2010 at 12:28 am
An excellent post, Rob; and thought-provoking.
August 13th, 2010 at 12:53 am
Rob, I think your poem highlights the dichotomy of our age: does our technology own us, or do we own it. When the switch is ‘off’ the computer is nothing. It is up to us to switch it on, use it as WE direct. As a tool for creativity it is to be marvelled at - there is no way I could have written all I have, kept in touch with friends around the world, or managed the itsy bitsy administrative things which are part of everyone’s life.
On the other hand, it can become addictive, witness me sitting in my nightie exploring the latest responses to the poem-fest and suddenly discovering it’s lunchtime!
Thanks for making us think.
ViV
August 13th, 2010 at 7:12 am
Interesting poetry today - I am currently struggling (and I do mean STRUGGLING) to disconnect myself a bit from the technology to which I’m addicted! And it is quite a task; I’m shocked at how hooked I am to being hooked in.
August 13th, 2010 at 8:16 am
Thanks Rob for this piece, it generated interesting discussion. I’m enjoying the comments as much as your piece!
~Brenda
August 13th, 2010 at 8:46 am
Rob a thought provoking piece!
Pamela
August 13th, 2010 at 9:01 am
Viv, there is no “off” on the machine mind that lords over us. You may be able to temporarily take your terminal out of the network, but the ‘Viv’ data entity never rests. All the servers and routers and connected data bases that have ‘you’ in them are “thinking” about you 24/7 — probing, analyzing, comparing, updating, quantifying, sorting, categorizing, and generally diminishing your privacy and autonomy minute by minute.
Bank records, government records, medical records, credit cards, things like your blog, website, Facebook, Twitter — and any database to which you’ve subscribed. These are constantly “thinking”, and making decisions that impact you. They, as elements of this machine mind, call you, email you, send postal mail to you, determine if you qualify for monies and services — far more goes on than you realize, about which you are unaware. It is this overriding, global machine mind that we cannot turn off as individuals — and about which, I believe, we need to become proactively engaged in a global dialogue.
This global machine mind is not passive and benign, and we, as individuals, cannot “turn it off” — haven’t been able to for years now. Our socioeconomic infrastructure would collapse if we tried. Its complexity and power grows exponentially.
All the ways you described by which your personal terminal provides you convenience, and helps you do more and faster, are all the ways you have become dependent upon, some even addicted to, the global machine mind. It is the “faster” and “more” elements that create the addiction — millions of people hooked on online gaming, betting, gossiping, shopping, porn, etc.
Now all this said, one might still argue that this global machine mind is a good thing, and that my concern is but a type of Luddite paranoia. However, my entire career has been involved in the consumer electronics industry - so I embrace technology, and have for decades. Tech can be great. But I have also watched tech go from things we truly did control personally, for our enjoyment and convenience — to an encompassing neo-sentient “grid” that we cannot and do not control.
Call me a kook, but I think the great philosophical, scientific, and science fiction minds, who have warned for years of the danger of becoming dependent on this “grid”, are on to something — and we have very gradually been drawn into the ‘web’ and ‘net’ of this grid. I would advise humankind to establish an open dialogue focused at maintaining “balance” with this global machine mind we have created. I do fear however, that we may already be too late.
August 13th, 2010 at 9:08 am
Excellent! I have often wondered many times when all this technology will blow up in our face. This reminded me of a documentary I recently watched called, Living In Public. It was an excellent documentary and touched on some of the same things as your poem. What a wonderful poem and thanks for sharing. ~Kristie
PS: Please come visit me as well if you get a chance on my poetry blog. http://special-k611.blogspot.com/
August 13th, 2010 at 9:23 am
Thank you Tilly, glad it resonated for you…
…rob
August 13th, 2010 at 9:26 am
Bravo to you Twitches for at least recognizing where you are — far too many have been assimilated… I for one refuse to believe that resistance is futile…
…rob
August 13th, 2010 at 9:31 am
Great Brenda, I created the prompt to stir dialogue because I believe there is danger ahead, that can hopefully be avoided if a focused global dialogue regarding balancing technology/humanity can be sparked…
…rob
August 13th, 2010 at 9:32 am
Thank you Pamela, I hope it is…
…rob
August 13th, 2010 at 9:36 am
Thank you Kristie for your kind words…
I am not interested in suppressing technology, I champion technology, in moderation — but we must be vigilant…
As James Martin, one of our great modern thinkers and author of the “The Meaning of the 21st Century” points out in his most optimistic and uplifting book, man stands on the threshold of either the greatest era in human history, or the end of life as we know it — and the outcome rests in our hands.
…rob
August 13th, 2010 at 2:06 pm
good one Rob…. thanks for allllll your words…If i cant turn the dam machine on nd OFFFFFFFFFFF …like my beloved chain saw…..i dont want it…..and if has an operating manual…i dont even bring it home…have a good weekend
August 13th, 2010 at 3:05 pm
Reading and printing changed the way we think, not just the things we think about. The same for radio and television. It’s always a good idea to pause now and then and pay attention to exactly what we’re doing.
August 13th, 2010 at 3:17 pm
I hear you Wayne -
- have a great weekend yourself sir…
…rob
August 13th, 2010 at 3:21 pm
Yes Barbara, especially as the technologies of our communication and interconnect become so powerful and invasive as to consume our lives!
Last year my teenage niece came to visit for a month, and hardly spoke. Spent 24/7 with earbuds piping her iPod in, or YouTube on her computer — and constant, non-stop texting on her cell phone. She said all her friends do likewise — extremely unsettling to observe…
…rob
August 14th, 2010 at 1:17 pm
Rob, you really managed to describe my own love/hate relationship with my computer! Miserable time waster and I could not live without it, BUT without it I would probably not write a small fraction of what I do…ah, trade offs are a b****h!
August 14th, 2010 at 1:33 pm
Oh boy, do I hear you Cynthia — but I remain conflicted… would a more measured pace of life produced a deeper, richer me — and thus deeper, richer, though fewer creations??? I do believe humankind may have put into motion a pace of life that may consume us — if it is not deeply and broadly considered…
…rob
August 17th, 2010 at 12:20 am
Thank you for your response, Rob. The adult half of your readership is bound to agree with you: ambivalence about technology has to be the largest element in our addiction. As for the young - will they grow up any wiser for the computergame/mobile phone/ipod saturation? I doubt it. Me? I don’t even possess a mobile phone.
August 17th, 2010 at 8:52 am
Rob, really good take, poetically and rhetorically, on the impact of technology in human society. I thoroughly enjoyed this!
August 17th, 2010 at 9:31 am
Viv, I was sure on the soapbox with this one, but I don’t like the hypnotic-like, near addictive grasp that some technologies have over us… and our growing dependence on it really concerns me…
…rob
August 17th, 2010 at 9:33 am
Michaelo, I am pleased this engaged you — I feel strongly that a global dialogue regarding this matter is critical…
…rob