Rodney J Owen
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Humility: The New Smart

1/30/2017

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So, what is the key to not only surviving the coming technology overthrow, but actually thriving in it?  Becoming more human.  The tools that we humans have, that will always give us an advantage over machines are things like Social Intelligence, Emotional Intelligence, Mindfulness, our ability to collaborate and create.

From an interview on the Knowledge at Wharton website, Wharton School of Business at The University of Pennsylvania, covering a new and intriguing book (now on my short list), Humility is the New Smart, Rethinking Human Excellence in the Smart Machine Age:
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"We human beings are going to be in a frantic footrace with smart machines to stay relevant. [What] we’re going to have to do well are those things which are uniquely human, such as our ability to create, innovate and relate at the highest emotional levels with other humans. In order to do that, we have to basically overcome our humanness. That’s the counter-intuitive part of this. We can’t stay relevant by trying to outthink Watson. Watson can process, remember, and recall much more information than us."
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"When knowledge has a short shelf life and smart machines can remember and process more than us, what is smart going to mean? Instead of getting my ego all wrapped up in how much I know, 
New Smart says, 'Define yourself as the quality of your thinking, listening, relating and collaborating. [Those are] the key behaviors that are necessary in order for you and me to think critically, innovatively and to collaborate with others, all of which require other people.'”

"The environment in which people excel at creativity or innovation is very humanistic and people-centric. Technology will dehumanize business by reducing human headcount, but on the opposite side, it’s going to require all organizations to become more humanistic, more people-centric, more psychology-oriented, [and harness] the power of emotions."
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​The full interview

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New Year, New Era, Same Us

1/20/2017

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Change, Change, Change.   Today, 1/20/17, marks a new era in our country.  Next week, 1/28/17, is the first day of the Asian New Year, The Year of the Fire Rooster.  The Fire Rooster represents big change.  The element of fire represents the burning of the old and the forging of the new.  The Rooster is a loud and conspicuous animal.  Prompt, in your face, a creature who enjoys the morning and lives to wake us up.  Take that analogy for what it is worth.

Further, I would venture to say that many of us have been, or are facing changes in work and relationships, finances, residences, and families.  For better or worse, it is a new day.  What I think is important about that statement is the clause, "for better or worse".  We have more control over that aspect of things than we generally allow ourselves.

It is an oft-made notation by meditators that we are not our thoughts.  Further our thoughts do not have to define us.  In short, who we really are is deeper, beyond our thinking minds.  However, our thinking minds tend to muddle it all up on a regular basis.  The key to this is found in stillness.  To get beyond being defined and manipulated by out of control thoughts, we must go to a place that is itself beyond thought: Wuji.

Of course we live in this world and our thinking minds, and the thoughts and words of our fellow travelers, are an inevitable part of experience.  So we must be discerning.  Time spent in Wuji buoys us, gives us a solid platform from which to operate once we go into the world of thoughts and words.  We must remember what is real and lasting and what is ephemeral.

As far as change, we all know it is inevitable.  I once heard the statement, "Change is the Godhead".  Well, indeed.  Not only is change inevitable, it is the pure essence of Tao.  There is no Spring without Winter.  There is a guideline from Chinese Martial Arts that applies here: "Embrace your imperfection."  If change is a challenge, especially the current changes in our world, try to turn it on its head: embrace the change.  Look at your resistance honestly, without judgment or emotion.  Learn to deflect, yield, and maintain your center.  In short, don't fight it.  As counterintuitive as it may seem, fighting is the surest way to compromise your principles.  Better to find a way to maintain them in the current situation; accept reality, keep your sense of principle, and move on.  If I may quote my teacher, Dr. Yang: "Don't enter the fight." 

One final thought on this (a true story).  When I was a young child my grandmother had a mean rooster.  However, she didn't think he was mean.  He intimidated me and my sister, but my grandmother never saw this and thought we were exaggerating.  Then one day, as she was bent over tending to some plants, this rooster took a flying leap and inserted his spurs in my grandmother's taught calves.  We had him for dinner that night.  And it was the best fried chicken I ever had.  (You can take that analogy for what it's worth as well).

​Be the Peace.

(image: Goya's Madhouse)

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Robots Replacing White Collar Workers

1/5/2017

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"One Japanese insurance company, Fukoku Mutual Life Insurance, is reportedly replacing 34 human insurance claim workers with 'IBM Watson Explorer,' starting by January 2017.
The AI will scan hospital records and other documents to determine insurance payouts, according to a company press release, factoring injuries, patient medical histories, and procedures administered. Automation of these research and data gathering tasks will help the remaining human workers process the final payout faster, the release says.......Artificial intelligence systems like IBM’s are poised to upend knowledge-based professions, like insurance and financial services, according to the Harvard Business Review, due to the fact that many jobs can be 'composed of work that can be codified into standard steps and of decisions based on cleanly formatted data.'"
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​The Rest of the Story


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