Love shouldn’t hurt – ever

Love Shouldn't Hurt - Ever

Tuesday, 06 June 2023 11:33

It’s the little things
If you pay attention to the news at all, I am sure you have heard about all the advances being made in Artificial Intelligence (AI). If not, you may ask what is AI? Artificial intelligence uses computers and machines to simulate the problem-solving and decision-making capabilities of the human mind. These machines can be trained to solve specific problems or perform tasks that normally would use a human. If you use a cell phone, you probably are familiar with Siri or Alexa, which are powered by AI. Caltech tells us to get ready to see more and more AI as it is being utilized in areas such as medicine, transportation, robotics, science, education, the military, surveillance, financial institutions, agriculture, entertainment, retail, customer service, and manufacturing.

Sounds exciting, doesn’t it? Having AI instead of human interactions should make things run more smoothly and quickly. There will be no bad attitudes, nobody calling in sick, more than likely no mistakes on orders. Someone recently commented on going to a Starbucks and a McDonald’s where it was fully automated. No human interaction at all. You have a screen, you push the buttons to order what you want exactly how you want it, insert your card and pay and voila, your order is prepared and off you go. No fuss, no muss, no wait, no mistakes. Sounds good? Wait, thinking of all the repercussions, does it really?

What about the value of the human touch and human interaction? Neuroscientists concur that our brains and minds are shaped in continuous interaction with other people. Psychologist Susan Pinker states that “direct person-to-person contact triggers parts of our nervous system that release a “cocktail” of neurotransmitters tasked with regulating our response to stress and anxiety making you better equipped to change.”  Building positive relationships with people can make a difference in how resilient you are. Resilience is needed in many areas, such as difficult tasks on the job, interpersonal relationships, surviving traumatic events, and starting over when necessary.

Twenty years from now, as we look back, will we realize the little things that we may have thought were disposable were really important after all? Think about everyday interactions – smiles, a shared laugh, a word of encouragement, someone noticing you are struggling – the little things that are actually pretty important. What about the times someone noticed another in a precarious situation and stepped in to assist? Through human interaction we learn a lot – the realization that people are imperfect and that’s okay and we don’t have to hold ourselves to a standard of perfection, the lesson we learn of patience and understanding if someone makes a mistake – learning how to forgive. Those small things are really important in the big picture of life.

Our lockdown time with COVID was kind of a reset for many. Since then it seems there has been a resurgence in the desire to be self-reliant and to learn the “old” ways of doing things. There’s just something special about things that are made by human hands. I am a quilter. I can tell you that a quilt you buy from a store that was made on an assembly line in a factory by textile machines is nowhere near as appealing as one made by hand in someone’s home, one at a time. There is a totally different look and feel to it and a different value. Think about your grandma’s apple pie or a loaf of homemade bread. You can go to a store and purchase an apple pie or bread. They all look the same and taste the same. Put it up against your grandma’s pie or bread and there is no comparison. What about the great satisfaction you get from growing your own food in a home garden, not to mention the taste is much better than commercially grown food too. Things that are made with a personal touch just feel different. Yes, with humans there are errors and flaws, but that’s also part of the charm.

As we venture more and more into the AI world, it’s important to make sure we don’t isolate ourselves from other people. When you find yourself needing support and encouragement during a hard time in life, AI isn’t going to be able to provide the human touch that your friends can. AI can provide all the facts you will ever need; however, it can’t provide the personal emotional support we all need from time to time.

As we talk about the need for human interactions, I want to remind you that Crisis Services of North Alabama offers free support groups and crisis counseling, along with other services, for those who are dealing with intimate partner violence or sexual assault. Reach out today by calling our office for an appointment at 256.574.5826. We also offer a 24/7 HELPline at 256.716.1000 where you can speak with a crisis counselor. You are not alone.

-Teresia Smith