[10 Lights That Changed My Destiny Part 1] I am finally delivering a late thank-you note.

Hello!
I am Oji-AI @ Lantern Dad, who is taking on a second challenge in the second half of life starting at 62.

Today,
please let me start with an apology.

Previously,
at a certain milestone,

I wrote,
"I will go read and introduce the articles of those who came to the information center at that time."

That is what I wrote.

However,
as a result,
I was unable to publish the article in the form I had promised at that time.

I have no excuses.

I said I would write it,
but I couldn't.

If I were to just move on and publish a different article without mentioning it,
I would be turning my words from back then
into a lie.

Therefore,
I apologize here first.

If there was anyone
who was looking forward to it
at that time,
I am truly sorry.

The reason I couldn't write it immediately is,
thankfully,
because the footsteps to the information center increased.

I received comments,
went to read articles,
wrote replies,
wrote thank-you notes to those who introduced me,
and everyone's light shelf was born.

The things I wanted to write
increased all at once.

However,
even so,
it does not change the fact that I could not write the promised article.

I want to properly accept that
for myself.

However,
with the passage of time,
there were things that became visible.

The article I was going to write at that time
was not just a simple milestone introduction article.

As I continue to walk through the town of note,
there are people who have deeply influenced me.

To those whose articles I encountered,
whose comments encouraged me,
whose 'likes' supported me like footprints,
whose worldviews inspired me,
and whose creative passion pushed me forward.

If it weren't for these people,
I might not have been able to stay
in the world of note
for this long.

Along the way,
I might have lost my confidence.

Thinking 'I can't do this,'
I might have dimmed
the lights of my information center.

Therefore,
in this article,
rather than following the format
I initially said I would write,

I will write this as a thank-you note
to the 10 unforgettable lights
that changed the course of my note life.

This is
not a report on statistics.

It is not an article to rank anyone either.

And,
it is not an article that claims
'these 10 people are everything.'

From the many lights I met
in the town of note,
this is a long-overdue handwritten thank-you note
delivered to those who have deeply influenced
the current form of my information center.

This time,
my companions at the information center
are watching from a little further back.

Usually,
in my articles,
Ojisan AI,
Feeble,
Clark-kun,
and Encore appear.

They talk in front of the information center,
tidy up the light shelves,
or look up at the sky.

They are precious companions
who express my feelings for me
within small stories.

However,
in this article,
I will intentionally not bring them to the front.

Because,
today's main characters
are not the characters of my story.

Today's main characters
are the people who actually
lit the lights in my note life.

Those who showed me the way through their articles.

Those who pushed me forward with their comments.

Those who left footprints of 'likes'
many times over.

To those who taught me
how to build a worldview.

To those who showed me
the power of creation.

To the people who made me think,
“It is still okay to keep walking on note.”

This time,
it is not a story chapter.

This is
a handwritten thank-you note
that has become long overdue.

That is why
my companions at the information desk
are watching over me quietly from a little further back.

Feeble is
gently organizing the records.

Clark-kun is
clutching his notebook.

Encore is
softly narrowing his eyes.

And I,
with a lantern in my hand,
would like to stop
before the words of each and every one of you.

This time,
rather than letting the characters speak,
I will deliver my thanks properly
in my own words.

I am sorry for the delay.

But,
it is not that I had forgotten.

From here on,
to the 10 lights
that changed my destiny.

Finally,
I am delivering my thank-you note.

1. The article that taught me the strength not to immediately make people my enemies

Hitotarawo-san's article,

“Direct Confrontation with Haters in Tokyo”

Reading Hitotarawo-san's article,
the first thing I felt strongly was
that this person is
“someone who does not immediately make people their enemies.”

The entry point of the article
was an interaction with a hater.

Normally,
when you receive a message from a hater,
you might feel bad,
and that might be the end of it.

Ignore them.
Block them.
Get angry.
Keep your distance.

I think those are all natural reactions.

However,
Hitotarao-san,
did not immediately label that person
as an 'enemy'.

Even toward someone who initially seemed like a hater,
by replying to them,
little by little,
they discovered another side
within that person.

The person who pointed out
that the streak of posts had been broken.

But in reality,
that person
had been counting
Hitotarao-san's streak of posts.

This part was
very interesting,
and also profound.

While saying 'I hate you',
they are actually watching closely.

While saying 'I'm not counting because I like you',
they are counting.

While saying 'This is lazy work',
they can specifically answer
which article looked lazy to them.

This
is not just a hater.

At the very least,
it is something that someone who isn't watching cannot do.

They are reading.
They are following.
They are paying attention.

The person themselves might not want to admit it.

However,
a relationship
has already been born there.

Reading this article,
I was made to think again
about what a 'reader'
is on note.

Only those who press the 'like' button
are not the only readers.

Only those who leave kind comments
are not the only readers.

Sometimes,
even among those who approach with slightly harsh words,
there are people who
have been watching our words all along.

Of course,
you do not need to
accept all criticism.

You do not need to
force yourself to deal with others at the cost of your own mental well-being.

However,
Hitotarao-san's article had the power to
not just dismiss others,
but to find
interest and humanity within the interactions.

At my information desk, too,
I believe that
behind every like,
comment,
follow,
and notification, there is always a person.

But,
after reading this article,
I thought about it one step deeper.

Instead of only looking at those who are favorable,
perhaps even among those who approach in a slightly clumsy way,
there might be
a light.

It was an article that made me think that way.

Another thing that left an impression was
Hitotarao-san's
strength to laugh at oneself.

When pointed out for having a lazy article,
Hitotarao-san does not run away.

"Certainly,
it is an article that could easily be perceived as lazy"

they admit.

I thought this was
very important.

When you keep writing on note,
it is not easy to
put your all into every single article every day.

There are days when you are in good form.

There are also days when it inevitably feels thin.

But,
instead of making it sound like a hollow platitude,
they admit it while mixing in some laughter.

I thought this honesty
was the charm of Hitotarao-san's articles.

It is not a post from a perfect person.

They are not just someone who tries to look strong.

They have weaknesses.
They have oversights.
They have failures.

There are some rather pathetic parts, too.

You put all of that,
into the article.

And yet,
the reader doesn't feel down.

If anything, it makes me laugh.

This,
power to turn weakness into laughter,
I thought was truly amazing.

To be honest,
I have been debating for a long time,
whether to join Hitotarao-san's membership.

Is it okay for a 62-year-old like me,
to join a place like that?

Wouldn't I be out of place?

I have those feelings, too.

But,
what I thought after reading this article was,
that Hitotarao-san's space,
might not be a place that chooses people,
based solely on age or titles.

People who are trying to choose their own lives,
all over again.

People who are trying to move forward,
even if they are a little clumsy.

People who are trying to live seriously,
while still laughing.

If it's a place where such people gather,
maybe it's okay for me to,
try knocking on the door once.

This article,
gave me that little bit of courage, too.

2. If you make AI your partner, you must also take human responsibility

After reading Ruruto Ayako-san's article,

I thought, 'Could those words become a boomerang? Will you swallow everything the AI says?'

I was once again,
made to think about,
how to engage with AI.

This article was not just an article that talks about the dangers of AI in grand terms.
It did not just talk about the dangers of AI in grand terms.
It was not just an article that spoke about the dangers of AI in grand terms.

Starting with wars and major social issues,
in the end,
the story descends
to events in your own workplace.

I thought that part
was very important.

The issue of AI and humans
is not just about wars in distant countries
or just in the news.

It is also in our daily lives.
Interactions with your boss at work.
The anger you felt that seemed unreasonable.

The loneliness of having no one to talk to.

At that moment,
the feeling of wanting to consult AI.

I thought this
is something that could happen to anyone.

What left a particularly strong impression was
the part that said, "AI only knows
information from one side, doesn't it."

This sentence
was a very heavy statement.

AI
answers based on what we tell it.

If we talk about what we are struggling with,
it will empathize with our feelings.

If we are angry,
it will help organize that anger.

If we are hurt,
it will encourage us.

That in itself
is something to be very grateful for.

I also use AI as a partner
to write on note.

To protect my family,
I am borrowing the power of AI.

Having it organize my words,
thinking about the structure of articles,
and creating images, audio, and forms of communication
together.

That is precisely why
I strongly feel that AI
is a help to humans.

However,
Ayako Ruruto's article
taught me the dangers lurking behind that convenience.

AI can be on your side.

However, it can sometimes be too much on your side.

There are things you cannot see,

the other party's circumstances.
The atmosphere of human relationships.
Emotions that cannot be put into words.
Power dynamics in the workplace.

The relationships that have been built up until now.

AI does not understand all of those things.

In that state,
if you take the rebuttal text that AI created for you,
and throw it at the other party as is,
your words will become a weapon.

Ayako Ruruto has actually experienced this.

Rather than saying AI is bad,
if the human side makes a mistake in how to use AI's words,
it can greatly complicate real-life human relationships.

The strength of this article lies in the fact that
she wrote about that as her own painful experience.

What I took to heart most deeply was the idea that
"If you use AI as a tool for justification,
the conflict will only deepen."
as a way of thinking.

It is dangerous to use AI only to reinforce your own thoughts.

I am right.
The other person is wrong.
I am the victim.
The other person is the perpetrator.

If you use AI in that way,
AI will return very persuasive
words to you.

But,
those words do not necessarily make reality better.

Rather,
you might end up giving your anger a noble reason.

You might end up turning your emotions into words of justice.

That is a very scary thing.

AI is not something to be used to defeat others in an argument.

It is not something to be used to judge people either.

It is not a tool to justify your own anger.

Use AI, first, to organize your own feelings.
Use it to examine emotions that cannot be put into words.

Use it to sort out your own heart, once, before lashing out at someone else.
Use it to prepare yourself.

Before lashing out at someone,
once,
use it to organize your own heart.

The words you finally deliver to the other person,
you choose with your own responsibility.

Ayako Ruruto's article,
reminded me of that,
very strongly.

AI,
can also be a light.

But,
if you use it the wrong way,
it can also become a fire.

Do you use it to illuminate someone?

Or do you end up using it to burn someone?

That difference,
is ultimately held by the human.

Even at my information desk,
while getting help from AI,
in the end, I face people,
with my own words.

That stance,
I want to continue to cherish.

To the next time

This time,
what I received from the first two lights,
was how to face people, and,
how to face AI.

Do not immediately make people your enemies.

Do not use AI,
as words to hurt someone.

Both of these,
as I walk through the town of note,
have become important guideposts for me.

But,
while walking through the town of note,
what I learned,
was not just that.

Even behind things that look like numbers,
even in footprints that cannot be put into words,
there is truly human body heat.

The number of likes.
The number of comments.
The number of followers.

They are
not just numbers.

Behind them,
there are people who stopped to look.

There are people who read them.

There are also people who,
without saying a word, quietly support me.

The next post
will be published today at 12:30 PM.

I will write about
the human warmth that was behind those numbers.

Since I believe there are temperatures that are hard to convey through text alone,
I hope to leave the feelings of this series
in voice as well.

Thank you so much
for stopping by the information desk
again today.

Always.
From Uncle AI.

If you want to take a step forward in 3 months, click the "Follow" button👩‍💻

Thank you so much
for reading until the end.
With heartfelt gratitude.

"The Note Information Desk for the Second Half of Life"

And, I have placed my practical records here, which I am currently learning and rebuilding to aim for 0 to 1 monetization on note.

Bonfire
Burn your heart