Since the explosion of information technology, knowledge has been widely and easily disseminated, ranging from folk experiences to scientific breakthroughs, all intertwined, making it increasingly confusing with the prevalence of artificial intelligence (AI). As humans no longer trust each other, they choose to trust machines.
Such thoughts make me feel more sad than happy. Because humans tend to self-destruct, we not only destroy external objects such as nature and the Earth, but also tend to destroy ourselves. Therefore, it is difficult to exist in a humane way in this era, let alone live up to the time given by nature. In this chaotic world, where everything is blurred, I would like to discuss the formula for living, what it is and why it exists.
What is the “formula for living”?
Since the dawn of time, all species have known how to find their own way of life, such as fish clinging to water, birds learning to fly, and horses knowing how to run. Then each species developed its life-styles, and every individual of that species had the opportunity to experience birth, aging, illness, and death, along with happiness, anger, sorrow, and joy. Of course, humans are the only species that can differentiate these behaviors and synthesize them into general rules, which we call “common sense.”
Common sense means seeing that fish know how to swim, birds know how to fly, and horses know how to run; it is also common sense to live according to culture and civilization. Culture and civilization are the way of life and thought of human beings. And it’s hard to avoid the repetition of habits, so we end up with something I call a “formula.”
The formula is when we celebrate our birthday (even if only for ourselves) on our birthday; it is also “when we feel tired, we need to see a doctor” (or at least ask Google what medicine to take).
Ancient people had to learn how to gather, hunt, and master survival skills to survive. That was the formula for living.
Modern people have to maintain their education, work hard, get married, raise children, and nurture future generations to survive.
Why does the formula for living exist?
The formula for living exists because it is effective for most people, helping humans continue the operation of society, build civilization, and maintain their lineage. But there will always be individuals outside the norm, either due to fate or simply because they choose their own way of life. History has called them many names: eccentrics, witches, wizards, or simply weirdos.
Individuals outside the mainstream of the common formula for living do not only appear in human society, but in every species if we observe carefully.
The formula for living in the age of ideological chaos?
We are living in a period of strong transition, which brings many opportunities but also many risks. We have created a new entity in digital form, which is AI.
AI is like a challenge that humans have created for ourselves. We can say that AI can help humans reach more achievements in the future: for example, in the field of medicine, AI can easily decode genes when humans face difficulties. The result is to satisfy the great ego of humanity, and perhaps to find an eternal remedy as what Qin Shi Huang worked hard and still failed to discover.
As the development of technology advances rapidly, it has turned the ideology of human beings upside down. We no longer have strong willpower and perseverance. We are gradually misunderstanding ethics. Because of the confusion of ideology, we throw ourselves into the wrong path and worship evil spirits while still believing that we are righteous. It is difficult to distinguish between truth and falsehood, so we have put ourselves on a path of suffering with fake happiness and dullness.
Therefore, the formula for living today has many forms, and we do not know which one to believe in, so modern people tend to close their eyes and walk forward.
One of the typical formulas for living in Vietnamese society today is: Study hard, work diligently, save money to buy a car, buy a house, get married, have children, and build a family economy. Every decision in this formula affects the future of each individual and also impacts society as a whole. Do we have enough courage to change our destiny, or make a commitment to ourselves to build a new future for our families and society? Or if we are smart enough to create our own formula for living?
Every step requires careful consideration and is full of pitfalls and unforeseeable risks. I silently think about a formula for survival from ancient times, which is the premise of every formula for living, starting from each individual’s need for eternal faith in themselves, humaneness: knowing how to love others and all things, and finally a positive spirit to build hope and dreams.
So that we can live a worthy life in a short and fleeting lifetime!