If you are missing items you ordered from Amazon, I know where you can find them. The picture above shows “your” packages piled at the gate on our accessory gravel drive exiting the back of our property.
Regrettably, I have written about our ordeal with Amazon previously in the August 3rd essay, “It’s Complicated.” I’ll quickly cut to the chase: Amazon’s Seattle AI is directing their delivery vehicles across our property using our gravel drive to access a neighboring subdivision to deliver packages.
For months we have chatted with bots and humans, repeatedly emailed and called to discuss the situation with a dozen Amazon employees across the country. You would think Amazon could correct their errant routing problem, which sends Amazon vehicles speeding across our property, endangering our grandchildren on the farm golf cart, our dog and farm animals. Repeatedly, we have been assured that the routing error will be fixed, but it hasn’t. We feel like Charlie Brown as “Amazon Lucy” promises she will hold the football, but doesn’t.
Let me point out that Amazon delivers our orders correctly, most of the time. But who has not been challenged when encountering a behemoth bureaucracy run by artificial intelligence, which seemingly is incapable of being overridden by commonsensical humans?
And as AI systems are developed, used and have sometimes escaped control, we should all be concerned. It certainly gives me concern that Amazon delivery drones may soon be flying through Knoxville’s airspace, directed by AI. And even more concern is Amazon’s AI chatbot “doctor” making diagnoses. What could possibly go wrong?
Modern life has its challenges, but the benefits far outweigh the downsides. I am not an old fuddy-duddy who thinks things of the past are better than the present. Furthermore, I am certainly not a technology Luddite.
Interestingly, a friend had to cut down a huge tree damaged by lightning and she wanted to know how old it was. She took a picture and submitted it to Grok and in just a few seconds, the tree rings were counted, and the tree was determined to be almost 99-100 years old.
And we had a mystery with our chickens. We were suspicious that we got a rooster with the baby hens we bought. ChatGPT identified the bird as a rooster with a 98% certainty. Clearly, these uses of AI are not as critical as correct medical diagnosis and advice!
The philosopher Socrates said that the “unexamined life is not worth living.” What he meant was that we should examine our lives using reason and common sense. Since I am now retired, I have more time for self-reflection and thought. (And I have to come up with a hopefully thoughtful 1000 word essay every week!)
On reflection, I think most things are better now than in the past. Computers, the internet and cell phones stand out as marvelous inventions which have made the world better. Powered by these technologies, I believe future historians will call our time the Information Age.
Nowadays, we blithely consider cars and airplanes. And we take for granted the ability to produce more food with fertilizers and modern farming. “The Alchemy of Air” by Thomas Hager is a fascinating book about fertilizer, food production and, surprisingly, war.
Our Tennessee River is now far cleaner than it was when I was a kid. And I have an old picture of Knoxville taken shortly after the Civil War showing treeless Knoxville and the barren hills of UT. There are now more trees than in the past because we have better sources of energy. And I could go on.
But that does not mean that the modern world and its conveniences are problem-free. Noteworthy is globalization, which has been a disaster and has endangered our country by outsourcing America’s workforce and industries, as well as leading to supply chain issues. However, recognizing successes as well as mistakes is integral to improvement and correction. President Trump understands the problems of globalization and is addressing the transfer of industries and wealth out of our country by multinational corporations seeking profit from lower foreign production costs.
The major news media has been missing in action. They were granted protection in the First Amendment to the Constitution. Recognition that the media have become politicized, dishonest and corrupt has been a painful lesson, but a necessary one. Painfully, Americans have learned of deception by fraudsters, politicians and bureaucrats in our institutions. We have lost trust in, for instance, Fauci’s CDC. But again, this can be a blessing if we are courageous and fix the problems of dishonest people in places of power.
And who trusts the judicial system and judges any longer? If you do, you should consider Luke 2:18. Judicial activism has been going on for millennia. My one experience with the judicial system was in a civil suit. The judge threw out the verdict that the jury awarded me. Needless to say, I found him corrupt.
Jesus said we would always have problems in this world (John 16:33). But he also said to whom much is given, much is expected (Luke 12:48). And Americans have been given much, and as a group are the most giving people on the planet. We just don’t like to be cheated or deceived.
A recent Sunday school lesson caused me to think about prayer and specifically the Lord’s Prayer. This model of prayer is seemingly missing the notion of thankfulness, something that resonates with me. Some years ago, pastor and writer Bill Hybel, wrote “Too Busy Not To Pray,” where he introduced me to the helpful acronym ACTS as a model for prayer.
A stands for adoration or reverence.
C stands for confession or contrition.
T stands for thankfulness and
S for supplication, where you ask God for the things on your heart and mind.
Prayer is never wrong. Our country and the world need it. So don’t let it go missing from your life.
