Dear Reader

Another month along the arrow of time and now time to kick back and let your mind go… Maybe wondering how Western Civilization came to be?

Hi, Kendall Williams here, creator of The THING Trilogy and ThingWorld, a forum for sharing the human journey. Thank you for sticking with me. Last Newsletter, the following question sparked some interesting back and forth:

“What will happen to our world, our sense of reality as virtual and augmented realities become more advanced?”

L.C. responded:

“Possibly make it harder for us to know the difference between realities. The bad actors could take advantage of that for, say, manipulating a person's thoughts about reality, which is already easy enough to do.

On the other hand, this advanced technology could positively improve the quality of our lives, and our understanding of more and more complex ideas. It will finally be proven that the answer to the ultimate question of life, the universe, and everything is indeed 42.”

Thank you L.C., a thoughtful response with a touch of the absurd to wrap it up. Love it!

OK, so since The THING Trilogy is about First Contact with an awesome alien artificial intelligence as a massive asteroid come into the solar system from interstellar space, I thought I would take L.C.s last sentence above and turn it into a question for “our own” AI, ChatGPT. Here goes...

“What will finally be proven if the answer to the ultimate question of life, the universe, and everything is indeed 42?” (Try pasting it at: chatgpt.com)

Excerpts from ChatGPT response:

"The idea that the answer to the ultimate question of life, the universe, and everything is "42," comes from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams… If "42" is the ultimate answer, it might prove that the universe is not designed to align with human expectations of meaning or purpose. Instead, it would highlight the importance of embracing mystery, humor, and the journey of discovery itself. Ultimately, it would encourage humanity to rethink the questions we ask and focus on creating meaning in the face of uncertainty."

Disclosure: I have never and never will use ChatGPT or any other "AI" to write my books. I do however use it much the way I use Google Search as a research tool. I don’t copy and paste text from either without quotes.

But here is what gets me about ChatGPT's response: “…it would encourage humanity to rethink the questions we ask and focus on…” Wow, “we?” It either thinks it’s human or wants us to think it’s human! Hey, the more I find myself having to use Chat on all sorts of platforms, the more I first ask, “Are you a bot?”

So here we are in the Age of AI, asking a Bot profound questions about our own reality! Here is a wonderful book by a real human that explores humanity's search over the ages for answers to the ultimate question(s). Passion of the Western Mind: Understanding the Ideas That Have Shaped Our World View, by Richard Tarnas.

I have not just dog-eared my copy (I do that too), but have added sticky note tabs and turned it into a reference volume. A truly valuable resource if you’re going to contemplate a crisis of mind brought about by first contact with an alien intelligence as explored in Thing FIRST CONTACT: A Journey Through the Fabric of Time, and The THING Trilogy.

Here is an excerpt from Thing FIRST CONTACT. It takes place at 'The Crisis Conference,' where a panel discussion is taking place before an audience of five thousand attendee's. Jason has just welcomed Arkan, the alien AI of the Ark:

“Thank you Jason, I am honored am I not.”

I laughed. “It depends on your viewpoint.”

“Of course.”

“So before we start I want to make it very clear to our audience that Arkan is an energy being, a pure thought being, who can be virtually anywhere in our reality. Is that correct Arkan?”

“If I choose to be.”

“All right, let’s get into our question. ‘Why are so many in despair today and how can humans find their way out of it?’ Arkan?”

“Ah! Why? Is that not you humans existential question? Always the question, yes?”

“Please go on.”

“Does it not focus on this human feeling that there should be some purpose, when there is no explanation?”

“If you say so.”

“It is in your books.”

“Yes, books.”

“There are books that say ‘Existentialism is not a philosophy but a label for several widely different revolts against traditional philosophy.’ That these Existentialists, as you call them, share a passion for individualism.”

“OK.”

“That humans define their own meaning in life, yes, and try to make rational decisions while existing in an irrational state.”

“I have read that.”

“And do not some say that since there is no God, no transcendent force, the only way to counter nothingness is by embracing existence? That is, the place where one will find meaning in what is called life by you humans.”

“Is that a question or a statement?”

“Ah very good Jason, but notice it is two thoughts expressed in two sentences.”

“Well said!”

“Do you recall when you were my guest on the Ark?”

“I do.”

“And I said, your mind is a place. It is like a bowl, like a container.

“I believe we were trying to fix my toilet and you compared my mind to the toilet bowl.”

There was laughter...

​
​So there is humor in the human condition even in despair if we choose to see the absurdity of it. In other words, 'everything is indeed 42.'

Share your thoughts, what you would like to see in future newsletters, maybe a book you read, a favorite post that might be relevant. This is about you as much as me. After all, we are on this thing, the human journey, together. Reach me anytime at: newsletter@kendallwilliamsauthor.com and follow me on social media.

Quote from Richard Feynman, Physicist: "I would rather have questions that can't be answered than answers that can't be questioned."

Until next time, be well and safe journeys.

Sincerely,

Kendall Williams, Author

​kendallwilliamsauthor.com​

​

​​​