“Oh My God! There Is Nothing to Do! And We Are All Gonna Die!”

Clap and comment if you also feel a sense of overwhelm.

“I am overwhelmed and overburdened. But according to popular myth, we have AI now so there should be nothing to do! I wish they were right about that.” — Personal Log

According to popular mythology in this place, we have now entered an era where there is nothing to be done.

As many of us living in the real world(™) can attest, nothing could be further from the truth.

I happen to know something for a fact. I based this fact on true interactions with actual real-life people here. That fact is that a lot of people have a lot of things to do. These people also have very real problems in their lives. Problems that they would love for someone to solve for them.

But no solutions are coming forth. No help has arrived for them.

I have read on the internet(™) that we are all going to die simultaneous deaths of wealth and boredom very soon. That or death by T-1000 apocalypse. A Terminator 2: Judgement Day reference for those that do not know.

I read this on the internet… so it must be true. Everything you read on the net has got to be true. Right?

So, here is the deal. Let me lay down the truth straight. Right now and right here.

As we evolve as a society — or as persons for that matter. As this process happens we also upgrade our needs and wants.

As long as there is time — there are needs and wants.

People will always have problems. The worst-case scenario is that the problem is “What should I do with all my free time?”. With that problem, what becomes the solution? The solution becomes either one or all of entertainment, education, and enlightenment.

This is why these are three businesses to care about. These businesses will always work. I guarantee it.

I heard there is no work in need of doing around here. The rumor is persistent.

It is time to drop a quote from a webpage:

In 2022, 2.2 billion people still lacked safely managed drinking water, including 703 million without a basic water service; 3.5 billion people lacked safely managed sanitation, including 1.5 billion without basic sanitation services; and 2 billion lacked a basic handwashing facility, including 653 million with no handwashing facility at all. — UN, Water and Sanitation

Read that again until it registers.

703 million people without a basic water service? This is about double the population of The United States of America.

Feel that you have nothing to do? You should volunteer to go and dig some sanitation trenches somewhere. Nothing beats spiritual problems like doing actual physical labor.

But not all problems are physical problems. There is a whole set of problems related to the human mind and the human heart to be taken care of.

Time for quote-dropping again:

The percentage of Americans who currently have or are being treated for depression has also increased, to 17.8% — Gallup News

It seems that we have not figured everything out. Contrary to popular opinion, it would seem there are still things that need doing in this place.

So there are physical problems. There are problems of the mind. And there are problems of the heart.

We have not escaped the fabled human condition.

And you know what? I am willing to bet a serious buck that we never will.

I believe that it is an inherent feature of this reality that it will always be interesting.

If you lived in a complete paradise, you would be bored. Sitting on the beach sipping pina coladas in a constant haze. It is good for a while. But… Vacation eventually loses its appeal, and then you want meaning instead.

What you want is self-actualization.

Yes. Maslow is still alive and well in the year 2024. That pyramid of needs and wants still requires climbing.

And yes. I still would bet a serious buck that it will be like this forever.

You see, in more than one spiritual tradition I have encountered — we are here for the human experience.

Never forget this.

We are here for the human experience.