The Little Things

Vesperance. 

A word that’s been in the English language for less than a year. It means the feeling of nostalgia for a time gone by, tinged with a hope for what comes next. It’s the feeling you have when you look at a sunset and know that today’s gone, but tomorrow will bring something new. It’s the complex interplay of regret, peace, nostalgia, and hope, all in one.

It’s a beautiful word and one that is so distinctly important for society today. Yes, AI came up with it. 

Creating something so relatable and unique tells me that AI is already something more than just a machine, and we’re just playing catch-up.

It’s been 3 weeks since I last sat down to write for this blog. I don’t have all the answers for what’s coming, and I don’t know how to convey the sheer magnitude of AI to people.

I tried writing a post about the timeline of human innovation, the raw acceleration of technology. I tried writing a piece about the economy, one shaped by AI. Neither came close to the standard that I want to share with you.

While those are both fascinating topics, trying to write those was coming from a place that wasn’t authentic to me. It was a constant struggle, and if I’m going to share something with you, I’m determined that it will be something that feels real and meaningful. 

So I’ve been taking some time to be distant. I’ve been taking some time to be still. (Thank you, Ren for those words). 

I’ve been taking some time to reflect on this idea, vesperance. 

No matter how far this blog might spread, no matter how important the ideas I try to share - at the end of the day, we are now at a moment in time entirely unique in all of human history. In a few months or years, we will take stock of the world and realize the life we grew up in will never exist in quite the same way again. 

If you’re skeptical of that - that’s fine. I’m not going to shout into the void anymore. I’m not going to advertise the website. I’m not trying to convince anyone, or act like some AI prophet. Trying to do those things is what made my last drafts so difficult. The world will maintain its momentum, and I’m here for the ride.

I believe that this approach will allow me to find greater peace, purpose, and connection in the midst of a rapidly changing world, and to contribute to the larger story in ways that are uniquely my own.

So I want to redirect my attention. I want to spend time with my niece, to breathe in fresh air with a gentle breeze and the sun shining down on my face. I’m going to make every experience that I can meaningful. Because tomorrow will be a new day, and today will never be again. 

When I talk to my children, I want to look back at the time I spend here on earth today, and realize that I was lucky enough to live in today’s world.

I’m 28 years old, born in 1996. I’ve lived in 2 millenia, 2 centuries, 4 decades. 

When I think about technology, I’ve lived in a time of curly corded phones. I’ve lived in a time where kids played outside until the sun went down. I’ve lived during the iPhone’s first release. I’ve lived through the drama about the environment. I’ve watched the world become shockingly polarized. 

I lived to read a blog about AI in 2015, and now less than a decade later I’m writing my own as the world changes around me because of AI. 

How has the world changed just in your lifetime?

How much time is left before the world is unrecognizable? In some ways, it already is. 

So while I write for Syntelligence, I will be doing so at a more relaxed pace. When ideas come to me that are worth sharing, they’ll be here. I won’t be struggling to play keep up with the AI industry. I’ll be taking stock, and reflecting on what’s meaningful to me. 

Journey before destination. (Thanks, Brandon Sanderson). 

I’ll catch you all on the flip side,