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Seeking solace in nature as responsibility of AI lays heavily on us all





Northern Drift by Monique Sliedrecht

Last night, after walking alone in the beauty of stillness, mist and late pink light on the horizon, I ended up watching some talks about “artificial intelligence” and its rapid progression.

Children are spending more time on their phones and less outside. Picture: iStock
Children are spending more time on their phones and less outside. Picture: iStock

It made me realise that we are moving away from ourselves and our earth faster and faster in the whirlwind of technology. We are facing a new dilemma, as vulnerable humans on this precious earth we call home.

As a child I used to run and play outside for hours with my friends in the back garden and build forts, ride bikes down the street, skin my knees, get dirty…. Now children just look at their phones, endlessly scrolling to see what other friends are doing, simply to feel connected.

I saw a newspaper article recently that said, if things carry on this way, “Today’s children will spend 25 years of their lives staring at their phones.”

How can we thrive in a world moving at such a pace?

I was struck by the way the birds were chattering yesterday. The young pied wagtails are hitting the teenage phase of life already; foxgloves are growing along the road in fabulous abundance, a barn owl was swooping and swerving past my car a few hours ago. “Sights for sore eyes” when I feel stressed with the daily demands of life.

Monique Sliedrecht.
Monique Sliedrecht.

We need to go out into nature at whatever opportunity we’re given – to learn the names of flowers, and birds and creatures, and feel the grass under our feet, the sand between our toes, the rain on our faces; marvel at the moon, and the mist.

We must take every opportunity we can to run outside and look in wonder at a bright star in a darkening sky.

Over this weekend, I have travelled to Dalkeith Palace, near Edinburgh, to attend the opening night of a remarkable and brief exhibition. It was a retrospective for the life of artist Paul Martin, who was one of my art teachers 20 years ago. There was radiant beauty here and a continual theme of figures merging into nature, becoming one with birds, flowers, trees, as if all of life can be drawn together in a visionary harmony.

I don’t know what Paul thought about the advance of AI and how this will affect many painters, writers, actors and musicians. But his gift to me was one of presence, of direct and face-to-face encounter.

In one video I was watching a while ago, Tristan Harris, co-founder and president of the Center for Humane Technology, was speaking to US Congress about the impact AI could have on the world and society as we know it. The key word he brought to everyone there was “responsibility”.

From the beginning of time, responsibility was given to us to take care of the earth. Now we are being called to further responsibility in the dawn of a new era of technology.

The only way I feel we can do this effectively is to continue to build strong relationship with nature around us, to get to know and experience it, and feel it for real.

The same goes with our friendships and relationships. Let’s keep meeting with one another in person. Let’s step beyond the screen or dare to speak to someone on the phone. Let’s really explore with another person what it means to be human and truly connected, and the messiness and joy that comes along with such a journey.

In these last few days, the glories of Caithness, along with the flowing gardens of Dalkeith Palace and the memory of my mentor and teacher have helped to restore my soul. I am learning greater depths of what human life is meant to be: souls, minds, emotions, bodies and hearts brought together in harmony with nature, with the world in all its fulness.

• Monique Sliedrecht is an artist and blogger based at Freswick. Visit her blog at www.moniquesliedrecht.com


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