I've been experiencing elevated levels of anxiety and, to some extent, fear. I try really hard not to doomscroll, but I do consume quite a few podcasts and I read HN all the time.
While I'm optimistic about technology and human beings in general, I'm quite worried. I have a small child and am entering my forties. I've never felt so uncertain about the future as I do now. If I were childless, I wouldn't care as much, to be honest. I used to be fearless, but now I have so much to lose.
I would say I'm mostly anxious about the fast-paced development of AI and/or the potential for another world war.
With regards to AI, I'm definitely excited about it on a technical level. I tinker with LLMs for fun and try to use them frequently. I love the tech, but what worries me are all the higher-order effects on society if I extrapolate just a few years ahead.
Also, humans have always had the monopoly on intelligence. What does it even mean to be a human when we don't? Why would we need 7 billion of us in the here and now? Who gets to prosper... all?
I don't read the news, so I don't even keep up with the latest information on conflicts, but I can imagine how we are maybe a few missteps away from escalation and world war. After all, it was just a bunch of circumstances and Gavrilo Princip last time, right?
I just have a feeling humanity has a lot on its plate at the moment and maybe it's more than we can chew.
Do you feel similarly? How do you cope? Especially if you have children.
I think that this kind of uncertainty is why religion has long had a place for humans, to believe that there is meaning and a plan. I wish that I could subscribe to one of the more mainstream ones, but I've really never been able to believe in them. I think a meditation practice is helpful and can help develop a bit of spirituality at least. Otherwise it's just the standard advice anyone will give you for anxiety; diet, exercise, perhaps medication.
[0]https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2024/01/fl...