We humans have been contending with many chasms in our society—separations between mind and body, spirit and matter, us and them. Our history is littered with the traumatic results of these schisms, and we know the impacts well: isolation, loneliness, spiritual voids, structural racism, patriarchy, estrangement from the natural world, all manner of extractive and exploitative uses of natural and human resources, and unwellness on interpersonal, societal and planetary levels.
Now we have the specter of rapidly evolving artificial intelligence at the leading edge of our technological chasm. The technologists who brought it into being warn of our collective peril now that this genie is out of the lamp. Perhaps A.I. will be helpful in many ways, but the profitability of outsourcing the mental labor of highly trained professionals will undoubtedly be a siren song in many sectors. It will become difficult to discern what was written by a human versus a bot. Even now, so many transactions are mediated by bots. It is difficult for even the most tech-savvy innovators to know where this is headed.
If we are on the threshold of an even deeper divide between what is real and what is artifice, it is time to reflect. And perhaps time to hone our human superpowers of authentic, empathetic, intuitive, responsive and loving connection. Of unmitigated presence.
I am blessed to be spending the summer in the Commonweal Garden in Bolinas, with its special experiences of community, music and joyful fun. Every summer for the past few years, the garden has hosted a fiddle camp: a gathering of people making music, learning to play music and playing together in the most sweetly supportive environment in the old-time, American roots tradition. Evening dances bring musicians and dancers together in co-creative play, strengthening the connections we feel with each other. It is akin to the dances so many of our ancestors may have experienced across a multitude of cultural lineages.
Even after one day of this sort of joyful community, my mind and body hum with happiness. Vital life energy flows into the places that are responsible for health and longevity, melting away the stress of the digital world, shaking me out of the calcified, sedentary posture of being hunched over a screen. I feel connection and community. Having real human fun, while being kind, caring and present with others, is a nourishing tonic. The science on this is strong: Music, dance and authentic connection releases all sorts of chemicals in our body that boost happiness-supporting serotonin and dopamine and bonding-supporting oxytocin, and reduce stress hormones.
This kind of healing and authentically human experience can be yours even if you don’t play an instrument or know how to dance. The good news is we are hardwired for these human capacities, carrying them with us everywhere we go. We can strengthen the neural networks in our brain to be primed to experience this connection, empathy and presence. Simply making eye contact, generously listening to another’s experience, smiling at people you see on the street, expressing gratitude for anything you can—these actions move us deeper into the realm of resilient, connected community. A.I. will never be able to deliver this sort of reality.
These days, it takes some discipline to put the phone down, turn away from the screen and make yourself available for deep presence. We are conditioned to distract ourselves. The realms we find ourselves in, including the practice of medicine, are so often mediated by screens. Yet we are moving into a surreal age in which much is at stake. At least that is what technologists-in-the-know tell us. A.I. will have far-reaching impacts. It is time to double down on what it is to be human, to connect authentically with each other without screens, and to have shared experiences in ways our ancestors would have recognized, in ways the very fiber of our beings will resonate with as real, connected, joyful and healing. May the art of human connection and experience become just as powerfully compelling, if not more so, than our techno-fascination.
We are well-positioned in our intimately rural, nature-immersed, food and medicine-growing, fun-having community to stoke the fire of human authenticity. We can keep deepening our connections with each other, and our ability to see, hear and listen to each other, finding out what kind of joyful fun we most want to have together. I believe this is, in part, the medicine of the future—coming together at gatherings, in circles, in retreats, with intention. To be real, human, nourished and heard. To co-create delightful fun, weave community together. Rippling out the sparkly, kind vibes we experience to all corners of society that need it most.
Out beyond the techno tangle of platforms, apps, passwords, accounts, screens, emails, portals and ChatGPT bedazzlement is a field. I’ll meet you there. As the Sufi poet Rumi would say, “When the soul lies down in that grass, the world is too full to talk about.” Let’s experience it together.
Anna O’Malley, M.D., is an integrative family and community medicine physician with the Coastal Health Alliance and directs the Natura Institute for Ecology and Medicine.