The enemy within: Ramesh Shrestha

We are survivors

Human beings have survived from many threats - from wild animals and numerous natural disasters from stone age all the way to modern days. But in the 21st century our survival is under threat not from wild animals or from natural disasters but from our own behaviour. We have become our own enemy. Human being’s superiority complex may even push us to the edge of extinction. It is as if we are experimenting with psychosis using ourselves as subjects. Why are we harming ourselves, to what end? Is it our greed for power leading us to this obsessive behaviour? Self-confidence is an important trait of human acumen but obsession with self-confidence makes us believe that we are invincible and can do whatever we want. Is our self-confidence pushing us to open the vault of self-destruction with no option for return?

There are four main creations of human beings which are likely to take the entire humanity to our necropolis where we will all simply be indigent individuals with no sense of unity. These diligences of death not in any particular order are - business of war, artificial intelligence - vermin of human cognition, demolition of ecosystem and hunger for power - insatiable greed.

We subconsciously normalised war

Human beings have converted the Chinese philosopher Sun Tzu’s Art of War published in 5th century BCE to Art to Kill. Sun Tzu explained the Art of War as a means of understanding the opponent and winning the war without a fight. The same idea is applied by the Chinese in all negotiations, leadership building and decision making. But in our monetised world we have turned the Art of War to the Art of Killing. The world lost millions in the two great wars. Eighty years ago, the big powers established the United Nations to bring a permanent peace, yet, to-date, there were just 26 days of world peace without anyone firing a gun just after Japan surrendered in September 1945. The wars and conflicts have never stopped despite all the promises and efforts of the United Nations.

In the past countries invented weapons to fight wars. Today countries invent wars to expand weapons industries. There are no shortages of UN resolutions to prevent conflicts and stop wars but there are bigger actions by powerful countries to weaken the UN system so that wars can continue and weapons industries can flourish. The competition today is between leaders demonstrating who has the bigger gun, not who can bring peace. There are more research in developing efficient killing machines than in preventing diseases or eliminating hunger. There are more war games practices than discussion on peace and stability among nations. In 2024 the global turnover in weapons sales reached $ 679 bn of which the USA alone accounts for $ 318 bn. Meanwhile the UN peacekeeping budget for the fiscal year 2024/5 was $5.6 bn.

Wars with AI driven weapons and the anxiety of nuclear war is looming over the entire humanity. A nuclear conflict of any scope could cause immense loss of life and could make agricultural lands practically useless with radiation for generations. Most experts believe that although at least eight countries have nuclear weapons the chance of nuclear war in this century is extremely unlikely but not Zero!

In the past wars were fought for ideological reasons such as against apartheid, colonialism, religions, against ideology such as communism. But in the 21st century wars are fought transparently to demonstrate power and authority and to take control of resources. How can one justify mass killing for these unscrupulous reasons. One can exercise power and remain in control including of resources with benevolent acts without killing and maiming people. Resources can be bought and sold through negotiations without killing people in mass.

Artificial intelligence

The arrival of the internet in the public domain three decades ago followed by the mobile phones globally brought substantial changes on how we communicate. The innovations in cyber technology equipped with efficient hardware and software changed everything we do at home and at work. The biggest shock is people’s addiction to this unscrupulous technology. There are 8.8 bn mobile device subscriptions worldwide, more than the total global population. These devices have become like an appendage in our body. The AI controls the audio, video and text materials in cyber space without any Red Line to cross. Application of AI in military, economy and everyday life have distorted the entire humanity. At the individual level it is like a barbiturate capturing human's normal cognitive function distorting creative skill and decision-making pathways altering human’s emotional ability. It is making people’s attention span fragmented, dependent and distracted. The integration of artificial intelligence in social media has reached a new level of comfort and discomfort at the same time. But unbeknown of these innovations is the hijacking of human behaviour by technology. Is there more to come, perhaps likely. In most likely scenarios, AI will gradually take over human’s cognitive function, disabling our natural neuromotor function in the coming decades as no one will have to think to read, talk and write. All you need is click & scroll.

The individual based algorithm generates messages amplifying the users view that boosts one’s ego. The materials generated by AI in social media have become a fodder for normative cognitive dissonance. People were made to believe AI is the future but in reality, AI is the one way path to the abyss. The way AI is applied in the economy and military could lead to the rebirth of fascism. We are already seeing its clips. There was a hoopla that AI will generate employment but it caused severe job losses. The AI world is owned by just seven tech billionaires. How should we thank them?

Being human amidst wars and AI

People are caught in the chaos of extreme economic disparity, individualism and spreading AI with an uncertain future. In this chaos people have failed to understand each other and even not acknowledge the existence of others. Meanwhile leaders are politically engineering for selective collapse of societies with threats of wars and conflicts creating instability to simply demonstrate power, military power that is, not intellectual power. We continue threatening each other – countries and individuals alike; we have ignored the value of cooperation, collaboration and compromise. Politicians have become emperors without dignity living in delusion. There is no more governance that caters for all.

Our insatiable hunger for power has resulted in unsustainable relationships between countries and people destabilising peace and harmony. The worst is our hunger for the weapons of war that could annihilate entire communities or perhaps even species. It is driven purely by hunger for power and greed. Human beings are still resilient and have adapted to many extremes but for how long will this resiliency last? The self-destructive way of applying our intelligence will eventually lead us to our permanent resting place without any mercy. Yet, some leaders call this being smart!

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