A Question
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One of my granddaughters sent me a text a few days back. She was at home on a school day. Not feeling well. She said she wanted to ask me a random question. She wrote, “What does TV mean? Technical something?” I replied and explained that T = equals “tele,” and V = Vision. It is an abbreviated way of saying television.
After our brief texting conversation ended, I thought a lot about it and took a lot away from it.
First, I was happy she asked me. As long as someone still asks you questions, it means they have some degree of trust in you, respect for you, and confidence that you know some stuff.
Second, I was reminded that we shouldn’t assume too much about what is and what is not common knowledge. There are ideas and things we say and do that are rooted in our past and accepted today without much thought. Though we might know their origins, it doesn’t mean that the next generation does. Just after Easter, I watched a new segment. It was a man-on-the-street kind of segment. This reporter was asking random people in New York City questions about Easter and the death of Jesus. I was shocked at how ignorant people were of the basic facts. We shouldn’t assume people know who Jesus is or what He did. Many don’t know – even in America.
Third, I was concerned. I wondered if the rise of AI alongside the already ubiquitous Google would create even more disruption to human connection. Why ask Paw Paw when you can get an answer quickly and without all the added banter by asking ChatGPT? I concluded that questions and answers (discussion) isn’t and shouldn’t be about mere fact-finding. Human growth and development aren’t and shouldn’t be about mere information gathering. The question-and-answer interaction is about human connection and relationship building. Distilling it down to the mere discovery of more facts is soul-draining. We aren’t robots or computers, ones, and zeros, compiling data for some materialistic ends. We are people made in the image of God, for human and spiritual connection.
There is a lot of talk today about people being replaced in the workforce by artificial intelligence. It is a valid concern. The rise of the robots is real. We should proceed with caution. But it is not just in the workforce that this should be a concern. Our basic humanity is threatened as well. Some people have developed relationships with AI that is akin to a boyfriend/girlfriend dynamic. Although at the moment it is a very small number, it is still concerning.
Fourth, it confirmed for me why I worry about the advent of “online church.” I am not opposed to church services being streamed online. Some people are homebound and helped by these technologies. But that can never truly replace or substitute for real face-to-face communication. We need to be with each other, talk to each other, encourage one another, and be with other people. Church isn’t just about hearing a sermon. It isn’t just about gathering new information.
Yes, I thought about all of this because of my granddaughter’s random question.
