Introspection in the AI Era: The First Thing to Discard Was 'Conviction'

Introduction

We have entered an era where AI writes text, creates images, and even assists in decision-making.

While convenience increases, I sometimes feel that the sense of "what am I feeling right now?" is drifting a little further away.

What I want to address here is not mindfulness as a technique for calming the mind.
Rather, it is mindfulness as a stance for touching existence itself.

Let us call it "existential mindfulness" and consider the value of plants and introspection in the AI era.

1. What is Existential Mindfulness?

General mindfulness is said to be about directing attention to the "here and now."

Existential mindfulness differs slightly in what it does not seek beyond that attention.

• Rather than calming the mind, allowing hidden sensations to emerge as they are

• Rather than answering questions, touching the state before questions arise

• Retaining the tactile feel and sense of unease that exists before meaning is assigned

A state that does not reach a conclusion is a bit unsettling.

However, precisely because we are in an environment where AI provides instant answers, briefly returning to a place where answers are not needed feels more difficult, and at the same time, more valuable than ever before.

2. "Attention" Outsourced in the AI Era

AI not only handles tasks but also suggests "what to look at" and "what to prioritize."

• You don't have to get lost

• Decisions become faster

• Waste is reduced

On the other hand, the opportunities to feel for yourself where your attention is directed are decreasing.

You aren't in trouble, but somehow things feel hollow.
Rather than an emotional issue, it might be closer to a sense of becoming less substantialas an existence.

3. The 'Time Without Answers' Offered by Plants

Plants are special not just because they have a healing effect.

Plants do not accommodate our convenience, offer no explanations, and simply change.

• Growth is slow, and results are not immediately visible

• The boundary between living and dying is ambiguous

• They do not speak of meaning, yet they certainly exist

AI excels at organization and optimization.
What plants offer is time that cannot be fully organized.

Faced with the changing color of a leaf, before thinking 'what does this mean,'
the fact that it is 'changing' simply enters your eyes.
In that moment, you step back, just a little, outside of your thoughts.

4. Introspection is a 'Point of Contact,' Not an 'Explanation'

When we hear the word introspection, we tend to think of self-understanding or analysis.
However, existential introspection is something a bit more world-oriented.

• Rather than 'Who am I,' it is 'What am I touching right now'

• Rather than correctness, it is the phenomenon occurring

• Rather than conviction, leave things undigested

AI helps us explain ourselves in polished language.
Precisely because of this, it can happen that while an explanation is well-structured, it lacks a sense of physical resonance.

Time spent with plants pulls introspection back from 'editing a narrative' to 'contact with the world.'
There, rather than grand realizations, a quiet sense of reality—that 'I am here now'—remains.

5. Questions to hold onto

Instead of a conclusion, I leave you with a few questions.

• As convenience increases, what sensations are fading away?

• Does the feeling of being alive lie in the moment of achievement, or in the time spent touching things?

• When you look at plants, how does your time change?

• Can you hold onto a feeling you cannot explain, without trying to explain it?

• As AI provides more answers, where can you find a place to touch things that require no answers?

Existential mindfulness is not a method for solving anything.

It is about gently returning to the sensations that exist before we create meaning.
Plants offer us a way to return, in a quiet and ambiguous form.

Thank you for reading until the end.

Your reactions and follows would be a great encouragement.

I hope this post serves as a spark to light a small lamp in your daily life.

[To delve even deeper into this]

Art decor that encourages introspection and awareness just by being there.

- In the AI era, without providing correct answers or stopping the swaying, I place a small light along the path of life. A small scene on your desk helps you realize what is truly important -

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