In the 2007 Coen brothers’ film No Country for Old Men, there is a scene where a conversation takes place that completely shoots down the idea of predicting and manipulating the future to facilitate the ease of one’s life. Tommy Lee Jones’ character, a nearly retired, fully jaded Texas lawman, speaks with his uncle Ellis about the nature of life in the context of only being able to react to incidents, rather than act to create the realities that we desire. The conversation ends with the somber reiteration of the truth that Jones’ character, and we as the audience, ought to already know. “You can’t stop what’s coming. It ain’t all waiting on you. That’s vanity.” The question of why anyone would want to stop the future from coming is easily answered with one word: fear.
Perhaps it is in our nature to believe that we create the future, rather than to simply accept the truth that the future is coming and we simply react to it. While it is true that technology is created and developed by humans who oftentimes predict what the future may look like, it does not take away from the fact that human beings are more than just the consumers of the products from our best STEM students or innovative entrepreneurs. We are made in the image and likeness of the Creator, and our resolve and ability to adapt is what makes our species as dynamic and robust as it is.
The panic du jour of the West is AI and what it will mean for the future. Headlines ranging from warning readers of their impending doom to assuring them of the just-around-the-corner cures for terminal diseases are all laid at the feet of Artificial Intelligence. Politically, the lines have been drawn, and we must either believe that AI is the only fight that matters in the sphere of geopolitics or the end of our environment as we know it. AI will either take all of our jobs and render us professionally obsolete or create new positions that pay handsomely for minimal effort.
It is in the best interest of Catholics to remember that the author of the future has already seen what is to be. The sacrifice of the Savior on the cross and His glorious resurrection are enough to remind us not to allow fear or worry to take over our lives. Of course, we should analyze the future and determine how to better steer the trajectory of society to a more desirable existence for everyone. However, when the analysis performed is not rooted in faith and confidence in Our Lord’s love, then the possibilities we glean may be largely incorrect. If the amount of emphasis placed on our own actions determining the future outweighs what we have considered in terms of His providence and will, then we are naturally going to come to disordered conclusions.
The argument that we shouldn’t worry so much might seem to be a cop-out to some. However, people of faith would do well to understand and apply the principle of God’s omnipotence in their discussions and concerns about the future. Naturally, those of us with children worry about what sort of world we are leaving them. Those who have started businesses with their own blood, sweat, and tears worry about whether or not their hard work will be worth anything as the clock ticks and time ushers in innovations and services. While our worries are well-founded and natural to our condition as human beings with a limited degree of knowledge but an infinite capacity for anxiety, we are instructed time after time to be at ease in our faith in God. Easier said than done, but essential for our mental and spiritual health.
Not allowing fear of AI to take over our lives does not mean that we should not be aware of or have strong opinions on the capabilities and possibilities of artificial intelligence. It simply means that we are not going to allow fear of a future already known to God to color how we view and interact with the present. In looking at the possibilities for our collective technological future in a manner that considers the love of our God and the strength of the Church, we are facilitating a reality in which decisions will be made more prudently. There are few decisions made while under stress or in the throes of a panic attack that end up being our best mental work. Placing our trust fully in God and allowing ourselves to accept what is as what has already been seen and is currently known by God is the surest way to weather the AI storm and ride out the waves in the back of the boat, napping peacefully next to Christ.
I don’t know if there is anything overly transcendent about a person living life and accepting their situation in the moment and reacting to it the best they can. But in a world where every move must be made according to what is expected of us by a society that is all too pleased with being terrified at every moment, living comfortably within the will of God is wildly refreshing. Not only for the person who has decided that AI is not a substitution for God or His will, but for the people who observe them living a more peaceful, centered life. It can be us, if we resolve to relax, take a breath, put down our devices, and pick up our faith.
Photo by NordWood Themes on Unsplash
