Editorial Note - Happy New Year

Editorial Note - Happy New Year 

"As we usher in the new year, it’s worth noting that AI has made significant strides in the past year. AI has been used to solve complex problems and make our lives easier. From self-driving cars to personalized medicine, AI has the potential to revolutionize the way we live and work. AI is a giant leap for humankind, and it’s exciting to see what the future holds. With AI, we can make better decisions, solve problems faster, and create a better world for everyone. The possibilities are endless, and I’m excited to see what the future holds! 🚀🌟

 In 2023, the topic of AI evolution was a hotly debated one. While some experts warned of the potential risks of AI, such as the possibility of destabilizing civilizations and escalating misinformation, others were more optimistic about the benefits of AI, such as its potential to transform the labor market.

In March 2023, over 1,000 technology leaders working with AI signed a letter warning that AI technologies present “profound risks to society and humanity.” These experts suggest that research should be paused, and new regulations considered before any further development of AI bots like Chat-GPT.

It’s important to note that while AI has the potential to revolutionize the world, it is still in its nascent stages and has a long way to go before it can replace human intelligence. As such, it is unlikely that robots will take over humanity anytime soon.

Wow!!! What a great reflection of the last year and anticipation of the new year completely created by Generative AI ...I thought of starting my editorial note using this great technology   to co-create the Headline picture and Opening passage with GenAI tools. It is indeed thrilling to see the enormous power it adds to our imaginations and capability as humans. I think the debate of AI overtaking Humans could be shelved and all fears vanquished with more communication around it and world leaders taking lead to collaborate and lead Responsible AI initiatives across the globe to benefits all citizens of Earth equally instead of using it to destructively against each other as a tool of intimidation and subjugation. Humans have misused most technologies to create divides but the potential of AI as a technology is too big to be left for ungoverned use and to be mishandled. 

I thank all the readers from United States, India, Russia, Germany, France, Ukraine, Portugal, United Kingdom, Poland, Israel, Canada, Indonesia, Australia, Latvia, Sweden, Romania, Singapore, China and other countries for sharing their comments. It feels nice to note that there are many posts which are liked by people across the globe and that the world longs for peace, humanity and love to be the values to cherish. 

This year was overwhelming in my personal experience as an observer. Being an observer, fills me with immense curiosity about changing values. I observe an unstoppable urge in people to shun any heavy lifting of emotional commitments - I saw family members immediately after the funeral of their elder bursting into laughter’s and jokes and all kind of small talks, I saw family members posting their pictures of dancing with joy within a week of the death of their loved ones. I was at loss whether it was growing insensitivity towards any human connection or just a culture of being in constant high all the time or just self-centeredness and indifference under the delusional growing up followed by denial of incompetence.

I saw great leaders ensnared by the fawning retainers into taking unfair sides and losing their stature...I saw people talking in groups rather than connecting personally... I saw appreciation becoming a greed than being a need... I saw many sincere people living under constant stress and discomfort and I realized there were fewer guardians of their Psychological safety....Being nice, duty bound, sincere, well meaning, respectful, honest, truthful, simple, hardworking,  committed, scrupulous, intelligent was no longer appreciated as much and people were emphasizing the importance of being street smart, connected, networked and mutually thriving on common interests....I saw the sense of right and wrong losing its relevance.. with too many eloquent people around anything could be challenged, questioned and  destroyed and virtues of great achievers were the soft targets for the colluding minds...Very sad but the optimism prevails and hope never dies in me for a better tomorrow...

 The year also proved that the collective wisdom of  human minds was getting ready for achieving greater outcomes...It appears that space shall be next big thing where thinking of travelling and even settling will become a practical reality soon...Machines are getting embedded more in our lives and soon we shall see transformative effects of another quantum leap of human evolution of merging with machines...It appears that very soon, we shall not have to train ourselves into some skill until a quarter of our life to be able to earn our livelihood... This job could be easily done by Machines...Humans shall be ready to take a different role...a role of making choices and making and contributing ideas that could be executed with the help of machines at a much larger scale transcending the boundaries of our planet or galaxies.... making real advances in connecting with other civilizations in the solar system ...Expanding our power by multi-fold and becoming super humans. 

From the loftiest heights to the bottomless abyss.... we have unbelievable swings as a human being!!!

Please keep sharing your views and blessings. Please keep sharing the messages of humanistic values. 

Please protect good people. They are the hope.  

They keep the world going amidst all absurdities. 

Wish you all a very Happy new year once again!!! 

 Stay Optimistic, Positive, Kind and Compassionate to give hope to everyone around you!!

                                                                                                                                From- 

                                                                                                                                Manish 'Pakhi'  

My Expresseions : A Tribute to the Mentor

 

A Tribute to the Mentor 

"Let us give something to each person we meet: joy, courage, hope, assurance, or philosophy, wisdom, a vision for the future. Let us always give something.”

These words echo in my entire being, These words and many more such inspirational tenets of life from a person whom I embraced as my mentor more than 15 years ago. The leader of one of the largest Buddhist order worldwide with more than 12M followers in 192 countries, Dr. Daisaku Ikeda lived his entire life true to the teachings and ideals of Buddhism.

Dr. Ikeda was born on Jan 2nd, 1928, in Tokyo, in a family of seaweed farmers. As a child, he was diagnosed with chronic tuberculosis and doctors told that he would not live beyond 30. "What sickness can therefore be an obstacle"...he proclaimed and went on to create trailblazing journey of transforming millions of lives enabling people discover their true potential as human being and achive victories. Dr. Daisaku Ikeda, passed away on November 15, 2023 at the age of 95. We call him Sensei which means mentor or teacher in Japanese.

Until I encountered his teachings, spirituality to me meant believing in 'God' and 'Goodness'. I was still puzzled as to where to find both. Sensei taught us both were within us. Sensei taught us about a new dimension of spirituality - called "Faith in Daily Life". Faith which would make you find peace not in meditating alone but staying amidst the topsy-turvy of daily life and challenging something...Something within..

Sensei taught us the philosophy of "Oneness of Self and Environment" and to me it was like a whole life decoded into easily understandable principals to be imbibed and practiced in our daily conduct as ordinary human being to manifest the extraordinary potential inherent in our lives equally.

Sensei came from an ordinary family; he acquired his education working thru the day and studying thru the night at night schools. He was at one time earning his livelihood working as a newspaper hawker; He determined of having a publication of their own newspaper one day. Sensei one day waiting at a university with his mentor; dreamt of establishing universities one day where humanism could be cultivated among students, He dreamt of becoming an author, and once when a top politician cancelled the visit to be the chief guest of a large gathering of youth at the last minute, he determined to develop leader in all walks of life who valued "Treasures of the Heart".

His perseverance made him an author of more than 250 books. Sensei received more than 200 honorary degrees, as well as numerous international honours, including the United Nations Peace Medal (1983), the International Tolerance Award from the Simon Wiesenthal Centre (1993), the Rosa Parks Humanitarian Award (2008), and the Gandhi International Peace Prize for Social Responsibility (2014). He fulfilled his dreams of establishing Soka universities and schools and also kindergartens in five countries,

Mr. Ikeda took over the leadership of Soka Gakkai, the largest lay Buddhist organization at the age of 32. He travelled to more than 50 countries and met Heads of States, Academicians, Artists, Authors and other prominent leaders of society to promote peace, culture and education. Sensei has presented Peace proposals to UN every year since 1983.

Ikeda Sensei taught us "Never to get defeated" and take challenges as peaceful practices, practice humanism, change poison into medicine, smile to our parents, encourage the person in front of us and cherish every individual.

Sensei taught us not to be dogmatic, fanatical or ritualistic but to win with compassion, reason and observation of one's own mind.

and like Sensei used to quote Victor Hugo "We are all under sentence of death, but with a sort of indefinite reprieve.” Let's take every moment of our life as the last moment and put all our best in it.

In his words, “When we change, the world changes. The key to all change is in our inner transformation- a change of our hearts and minds. This is human revolution. We all have the power to change. When we realize this truth, we can bring forth that power anywhere, anytime, and in any situation.”

Adieu Sensei, we shall always hold you in our hearts. Forever Sensei..

with profound gratitude

" Pakhi"