Mindset: Harnessing the Power of Our Minds

There is a lot of talk about artificial intelligence (A.I.) and its potential to bring significant changes to the world, both good and bad. I have dabbled with some A.I.-based products and can certainly see their utility, even at this relatively early stage of development. This development is growing exponentially, which makes many people afraid of A.I. and the potential consequences of losing control over it. Even Elon Musk has recently called for a pause on A.I. development until we gain a better understanding of it and can create systems to avoid catastrophe.

Until quite recently, the most powerful computers in the world were those between our ears—our brains. While our brain's computing power now pales in comparison to even the most basic computers, there is still a tremendous amount of power in our minds. We understandably fear the consequences of uncontrolled computer-generated A.I.; I’m sure you are familiar with some movies that explore that theme. However, when I think about computers and their basic functioning—combined with my rudimentary knowledge of them—and compare that to how the human brain works, I see more similarities than differences.

It is my unshakeable belief that as humans, we are created with a spark of divinity and have access to a higher level of consciousness through our soul, spirit, or whatever term you prefer. However our physical brains operate not unlike computers, with electrical currents creating activity, switching genes on and off, and activating automatic functions that carry on unconsciously (like fight or flight, digestion, etc.) with minimal input from our environment. Our brains, like A.I., have the potential to do great things, both good and bad. Yet, many people seem generally okay accepting the current "operating system" installed in their brains, regardless of the consequences.

Several reasons likely contribute to this, but chief among them is a misunderstanding of how our brains work and how we can gain control over them to make virtually any change we would like to see. This appears to represent a huge responsibility for an individual, which leads me to my second reason why people often don’t take charge of their minds—they fear taking responsibility for their own destiny.

There is no doubt it is easier to let fate determine our destiny; this way we always have something outside ourselves to blame when things don’t work out. However, that approach is an abdication of the responsibility that comes with having access to a higher level of consciousness—a feature that sets us apart from other living beings. If you think about everything in the living world, life is a process of growth followed by death (or at least the process of dying). Humans are the only beings with the ability to understand this and choose further growth over decline.

If we are concerned about the power of A.I. to control our world, we first need to take charge of our own mindset. This will allow us to access a higher level of consciousness, where control of our mind and destiny is not handed over to outside forces. Marketing agencies have long understood how to manipulate our minds to cultivate desire for their products or services. Social media has taken this to another level, and A.I. could potentially turn us into the very robots that destroy our own world!

We can mitigate these external forces by recognizing them and acknowledging the power that lies in our mindset. If we can muster the courage to consistently control our thoughts and take command of our destiny, we can use A.I. as a powerful tool rather than live in fear of it. We have R.I.—Real Intelligence. If we take advantage of that, we have nothing to fear!

Thanks for reading, God Bless!