On Wednesday I looked at the year with awe that a number that appeared so futuristic as a kid was reality. Add this realization to the fact that my birth year of 1973 requires a limitless number of scrolls to reach thus creating a slight depression with every log in. Time is marching on and frankly I am ready for it to slow down or stop altogether. 2024 brought so much I don’t know about and I am still trying to figure out what AI is forget about how I should use it. Just in case you are wondering, this is my writing but it’s still AI just Albert I (apologies for that weak play on words). I feel that 2024 was a year of loose ends. I like wrapping a year with a neat bow so that the new year begins with fresh hope. 2024 never seemed to end, it just deflated almost like a tire with a slow leak. I would peek out from my house to see if there was enough air in 2024 to reach another day. Unfortunately I think it is time to bite the bullet and get new tires for 2025 regardless if 2024 has some tread left. I want 2025 to be a year of clean starts and stops. No more California stops at the intersections of what and why. I want to come to a complete stop look both ways and know that I am choosing the right direction. No more questions for Siri about directions abdicating to a faceless technology. I want physical maps or worn out road side signs. I want the experiences that have taught me tough lessons to be my guide instead of an algorithm, search or post. 2025 should be a centering year where the excess of technology, efficiency goals and faster is better are all set aside for a slow marinade in truth, connection and density. Let’s set aside the tendency to accept just enough so we can quickly move to the newer, trendier and popular thing. Let’s stop and dig wells instead of splashing in a pond telling ourselves that we are soaking in a deep tub. Let’s stop lying to ourselves about what we have forsaken for technology as if it has not left us forsaken. Let’s control ourselves so we can control Siri, Alexa and AI. Let’s trust each other and accept that our human instincts can and should take time so that 2025 can age well. Let’s stop running, look around and take a deep breath. There will only be one 2025.
Albert R. Hartley