Journal of Sacred Work

Days 310-315 – The Body Electric or the Electric Body?

Museum merging    Recently, I said to my iPhone , "I am sad."

   "Its OK to cry if you want to," Siri replied, "My aluminosilicate glass surface is tear resistant."
 

   In 1855, long before robots were imagined, Walt Whitman spoke to us through his Leaves of Grass, "I sing the body electric…" he wrote, "And if the body does not do fully as much as the soul?/And if the body were not the soul, what is the soul?" 

 
   One hundred sixty years later the questions still earthquake our hearts. Would we prefer a reliable "electric body" over a passionate but vulnerable "Body Electric?" When will we become more robot than human? If the robot crushes humanity "what is the soul?"
  
   Science fiction is now science possibility. Thoughtful people probe the core of compassion. Is love truly unique to humans? 
   
   Caregivers labor to cure disease & relieve pain. They have a third role: to offer healing. Do we wish we had an "aluminosilicate glass surface to Woman with camera 7 (1) catch our tears?" Who among us would not sell their souls for a body free of disease, injury & pain?
 
   Can love's healing be replicated? Love is grounded in intent & only we can form such a complex emotion, right? I asked my son-in-law, a computer engineer with a genius IQ, about this. His answer stunned me. "Maybe," he said.
 
   The camera aiming at us in the picture is a computer. Are the body & soul of the photographer replaceable? Can a robot paint a masterpiece or write an immortal poem?
   
  Robot painter 2 (1) The Japanese have been testing caregiver robots. Programmed to say kind things they provide comfort to the elderly & the autistic. 
 
   Scientist Prakash Presad writes, "many a time we are unable to tell if the human to whom we are speaking really cares about what we are saying." He wonders if a robot could be a better listener.
 
   We can argue our uniqueness. Still, the "electric body" might, within this century, so threaten our humanity that we may ask: Where is our soul? 
 
-Erie Chapman
Photographs 1 & 2 by Erie.
Photograph 3, Shutterfly
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4 responses to “Days 310-315 – The Body Electric or the Electric Body?”

  1. Terry Chapman Avatar
    Terry Chapman

    I had never thought about this issue! A body free of pain and suffering would be just fine, except that wouldn’t we much less appreciate our individual and collective lives? There would be no thrill of personal adventure which always carries with it some risk! And no opportunity to interact with other human beings to ease their suffering and share their happy times.
    Recently while river fishing, I missed a step while climbing up a river bank; caught a stump and prevented a serious fall of about 10 feet into the passing waters–sat stunned and happy that I had survived the incident. Do we really want to preclude this marvelously human type of experience?
    I for one would not trade my soul for any “easier arrangement” though I have had my share of heartache too. No, walk on oh my soul, into the great unknown and take heart that millions have walked before you and thrived on all the challenges of Planet Earth!

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  2. ~liz Wessel Avatar
    ~liz Wessel

    Wow! Another thought provoking essay, Erie that brings to light the ethical dilemmas of this rapidly evolving technology age. I find myself resisting this idea that artificial intelligence can replicate love’s healing.
    I think that the closer ones lives are to nature, the more in tune we become with life. Perhaps more accepting of our aging as part of the life cycle, as nature teaches us through the changing seasons.
    Or rather, perhaps, it is not our environment as much as it is being in tune with the inner life of our Spirit and becoming grounded in love. A recognition of what matters is our relationships and caring for others. In this world of technology, that is spinning faster and faster can disconnect us from what we truly value, what brings meaning to life. It is the sacred pauses that connects us to our humanity.
    Community is important because being in communion with others reconnects us to that grounding in Spirit and in relationship.
    Only love informs our lives in a very simple and elemental level of knowing…
    I am thankful for my experience of growing up in a time when technology was not at the forefront. In a way computers seem to be controlling our behavior more and more.
    At least these are the thoughts that surface for me. Thank you Erie, for challenging us always to see in new ways; in the way of love…

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  3. erie chapman Avatar
    erie chapman

    What a terrific response, Terry. Your “small” example of your trip while fishing teaches a giant lesson about the human experience and what richness it can bring if we are fully in touch with our being. Thanks so much.

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  4. erie chapman Avatar
    erie chapman

    You are so deeply “grounded in love” that I knew you would have a rich response to this essay, Liz. Thanks so much, Liz.

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