nostalgia for the present

on some level, it’s not fair

to be born at this time, of all times, seems quite unlikely.

we are living through the singularity.

when we look back, it will be clear that it started long ago.

but to be alive now is to witness the bend in the curve

to see the expansion of time

to see years transformed into days

the pace of all things is increasing

so much so that it is surprising to catch moments of stillness

moments where you notice the smell of moist air rub across the dry asphalt in the quiet hours after dusk

“keeping up is a full time job”, many say now

little do they know that it is a futile race

one that seems illusorily manageable for now,

but will soon only be like trying to drain the ocean with a cup.

we are used to things moving at a snails pace

a technological revolution would come once in a lifetime, if at all

it would mark a generation. things moved slower, in a simpler manner.

how unlikely it seems, that we are here for this moment

a million years ago, homo erectus learned to control fire

now we are here when humanity has ignited something even more revolutionary

that we have discovered a way to mechanize cognition

intellect, one of our defining traits: automated

it’s the kind of thing that makes you ponder if you’re in a simulation

what are the odds that we are all here to bear witness to this incredible exponential takeoff

an event so significant so as to mark a divergence point in the species

homo deus

has this happened one million times before?

are we all just reliving the moments leading up to this same inflection point in the simulation, over and over?

guess we’ll never know

but in the meantime, let us appreciate the slow parts of our world, before they recede into the hazy mist of the past

there will come a day when we will even miss the subtle rumbling of car engines, all replaced by electric motors and drones.

this is what it means to have nostalgia for the present

the seers and the knowers can feel the changes coming

and amongst us it feels worthy to grasp out for this moment and feel every detail and crevice even within its impermanence

and to know that we knew what would come, to etch in our minds exactly what it is we will lose