Techno Therapy

Why do I continue to be so optimistic about the human experiment in the face of every reason to the contrary? Of course, the endless wars and emotional/sexual/ physical abuse and drug/alcohol addiction and a political game that has the worst pieces on the board ascending to power and money, money, money always running the show. But the thing that’s on my mind at the moment is the relentless fantasy that machines will save us, our refusal to understand that technology does not solve the issues of the human soul and in fact, often further shuts down our humanitarian promise. 

 

What does it take to understand that each new step forward in technology is often a step backward in a healthy humanity? We “save labor” so our bodies don’t have to work so hard and then have to compensate with trips to the gym. We look for connection on our devices but end up feeling more disconnected and lonelier than ever and have to compensate with trips to the therapist, who has us talking about our mother instead of saying, “Shut your damn phone off and go out and hug a tree!” We choose Smartboards and AI to enter our classrooms and create less smart children incapable of accessing their NI (natural intelligence). In short, we create new problems and then try to solve them with further technologies or machine-like thinking, all of which take more time and cost more money. 

 

Just as we now have summer camps to de-program our kids from electronic addiction, I’m imagining we’ll have techno-therapists whose sole job is to help us cope with a world run by machines. (I also imagine that AI therapy will rise and we’ll be sitting in room talking to robots.). If you know of someone already practicing techno-therapy, give me his/her/ their phone number/ e-mail/ Facebook messenger account because I’m in need. 

 

While loving much about Portland and Seattle, I was so happy to come back to my beloved San Francisco— until I remembered that we have been invaded by a foreign entity colonizing our streets like Russian tanks. I can’t walk/ bike ride/ drive one block without seeing one and then another and then four more and I don’t know how to cope with it. 

 

Imagine that there’s a person in your life who you haven’t been able to forgive for some hurt they did to you, someone you’d walk to the other side of the street to avoid if you saw them coming. (Thankfully, I can only think of one person out of the thousands I know in that category.) Now imagine that every time you go out, there they are and that they’ve cloned themselves so 900 of them are wandering around your once cherished neighborhood. Can you picture how you might feel your life has been ruined? After my initial “Home to San Francisco!” happiness, it’s back to “FUCK!!! I had forgotten! Get the hell out of my face!!!!”

 

In case you haven’t guessed, I’m talking about Waymo. As they began to multiply, I gave the finger to each one I passed. Of course, the driver isn't bothered because THERE IS NO DRIVER!! But maybe the passengers might wonder what my issue is and begin to think twice before ordering the next. NOT! OF course, they won’t. But it was a way for me to vent my anger at this next sign that the move to replace human beings is gaining ground. 

 

Then I thought, “This is ridiculous. The Waymo makers and supporters don’t care and I’m the one who’s losing.” So I briefly tried blessing someone I knew in need every time I saw one and that really did help for a while. But now I’m back to the finger therapy. 

I am so deeply sad and outraged that they’re in my neighborhood and throughout the city I’m trying hard to still love. I know everyone will just tell me, “Get over it. They’re here to stay. Don’t let it bother you.” But I don’t want to accept it. Back to the St. Francis/ Angela Davis dichotomy: One says “Accept that which you cannot change,” the other says, “Change that which you cannot accept.” 

 

        HELP!!!!