The
following headlines have spotlighted the current crossfire around ChatGPT and
other AI-powered technologies which is not surprising.
“The ChatGPT
Gold Rush: Everything You Need To Know” – China Briefing
“A Conversation
With Bing’s Chatbot Left Me Deeply Unsettled” – The New York Times
“Elon
Musk Takes Jab At ChatGPT As Propaganda Machine: ‘We Need TruthGPT’” – PC
The same
debates have occurred throughout history, and many technological breakthroughs
that were initially seen as threats or opportunities have ultimately proven to
be beneficial. The introduction of the printing press in the 15th
century was met with resistance and fear. However, the printing press
ultimately led to the democratization of knowledge and the spread of literacy – and transformed society.
Similarly,
the arrival of the telephone and the internet was initially met with skepticism
and resistance. They have now become integral parts of our daily lives and have morphed the way we communicate and interact with each other.
Being in
the “opportunities” side of this present “tug of war,” I wrote the following Sunday
reflection in collaboration with ChatGPT to showcase that this chatbot (without losing sight of the privacy, security, and ethics burning issues) has the potential to
revolutionize the way we live and work today and in the future.
><><><><
LOVE YOUR ENEMIES
Immersed in romantic feelings, Valentine’s Day is associated with the softer aspect of
love – the sensations of affection, passion, and warmth that we feel towards
those closest to us. As the day of hearts recedes into bygone days, we turn our
attention this time to the harder aspect of love – the challenging call to love
those who don’t love us in return – those who hate us – our enemies.
In
this context, love is not just a feeling, but a decision – the will to extend
compassion, understanding, and grace even to those who would harm us.
Jesus
said, “Love your enemies…”
Difficult,
radical, controversial, subversive, and revolutionary – are among the adjectives
that describe Jesus’ words in the Gospel. They challenge the most fundamental
human instincts of self-preservation, self-interest, and self-defense.
Why
did Jesus say those words, and what do they mean for us today?
Jesus
was speaking to his disciples in the Sermon on the Mount, back then, where he
was outlining the ethical and moral principles of the Kingdom of God. “Love
your enemies” was not only a prescription for individual behavior but also a
call for the radical transformation of the social and political structures that
perpetuated violence and oppression. Jesus was challenging the prevailing cultural
norms of the time, which condoned revenge, retaliation, and violence as
legitimate means to deal with enemies.
“Love
your enemies” is a call today to a higher moral standard that transcends human nature
and cultural conditioning. It implies that our love should not be limited to
those who are like us or those who love us back but should extend even to those
who hate us, persecute us, or seek our destruction. This love is not a
sentimental feeling but an act of the will that seeks the good of the other,
even if it means sacrificing our interest or safety.
CORRIE TEN BOOM
Corrie
ten Boom’s life is an example of how the power of God’s love can transform even
the most hostile enemies. During the Nazi occupation of Holland, Corrie and her
family hid Jews in their home and were eventually arrested and sent to a
concentration camp. In the camp, Corrie and her sister Betsie were subjected to
unspeakable cruelty and suffering. Yet, amid this hellish environment, Corrie discovered
the power of God’s love that enabled her to forgive her tormentors and even to
show compassion towards them.
“[T]he
longer you hold on to that anger, the longer you will continue to hurt yourself…
The reason to forgive others is not for their sake. They are not likely to know
that they need to be forgiven. They’re not likely to remember their offense… The
reason to forgive is for your own sake. For your own health. Because beyond
that point needed for healing, if we hold on to our anger, we stop growing and
our souls begin to shrivel.” (M. Scott Peck, M.D., Further Along The Road
Less Traveled)
Corrie later testified that it was only through God’s grace that she was able to love her enemies.
MAHATMA GANDHI
Mahatma
Gandhi’s life is another example, particularly on his philosophy of
non-violence rooted in the idea that all life is interconnected and that
violence only begets more violence which he expounded in his piece “The Law
of Love” as excerpted below:
“Consciously
or unconsciously, we are acting non-violently towards one another in daily
life. All well-constructed societies are based on the Law of Non-violence. I have
found that life persists in the midst of destruction and, therefore, there must
be a higher law than that of destruction. Only under that law would a
well-ordered society be intelligible and life worth living.
"And,
if that is the law of Life we have to work it out in daily life. Wherever there
are jars, wherever you are confronted with an opponent, conquer him with love.
In a crude manner, I have worked it out in my life. That does not mean that all
my difficulties are solved. I have found, however, that this Law of Love has answered
as the Law of Destruction has never done.”
By
refusing to retaliate or to hate his enemies, Gandhi was able to win the hearts
and minds of the people and achieve his goal of Indian independence from
British colonial rule.
An
Indian-American writer, Ved Mehta, commented that “Gandhi [who early in his
life read the Bible] was Christ and [many who have sought to maintain his
influence by writing about him] are now his apostles, trying to spread the word
through an indifferent world.”
In
both Corrie ten Boom and Mahatma Gandhi’s lives, we see how love can be a
powerful force that transcends human nature and cultural conditioning. Love can
transform enemies into friends, heal wounds, and bring about reconciliation and
peace. It requires a radical shift in our attitudes [recall Beatitudes],
values, and behaviors, and a deep trust in God’s grace and power.
POPE BENEDICT XVI
Pope
Benedict XVI’s following words on non-violence affirm the transformative power
of love as the only true weapon against evil.
“One
then understands that for Christians, non-violence is not merely tactical
behavior but a person’s way of being, the attitude [recall Beatitudes again] of
one who is so convinced of God’s love and power that he is not afraid to tackle
evil with the weapons of love and truth alone.
“Love
of one’s enemy is the nucleus of the ‘Christian revolution,’ a revolution not
based on strategies of economic, political or media power: the revolution of
love, a love that does not rely ultimately on human resources but is a gift of
God which is obtained by trusting solely and unreservedly in his merciful
goodness. Here is the newness of the Gospel which silently changes the world!
Here is the heroism of the ‘lowly’ who believe in God’s love and spread it,
even at the cost of their lives.”
Mahatma
Gandhi was reported to have once said: “I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians.
Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.” It’s an in-your-face gage that it’s indeed difficult, if not impossible, to imitate Christ, as Paul said, “And you should
imitate me, just as I imitate Christ.”
But nothing
is impossible with God. Thanks to Corrie, who gave us the key: “When [Jesus]
tells us to love our enemies, he gives along with the command, the love itself.”
We can forgive and love our enemies, not with our Valentine's mode of human affection, but through God’s
grace and His divine power of Love.
><><><><
A Blessed Sunday To Everyone!
Head still photo courtesy of
freepikdotcom
No comments:
Post a Comment