The Invention of Our Daily Lives
It’s easy to forget that we, as humans, are progressing through time—moving forward whether we’re conscious of it or not. The routines and structures that define our days, the systems and roles we play in, are all inventions. We just made all this stuff up. Nobody knows why we’re here or what we’re ultimately supposed to be doing.
But in the comfort of our routines, we lose sight of something bigger:
- We’re not static creatures, standing still.
- We’re part of something much larger than ourselves—something moving, evolving, and unfolding.
- It’s a journey—toward what, we don’t really know. And that’s the beauty of it.
The discomfort, the questions, and the uncertainty are all part of the process—signs that we’re alive, that we’re progressing, that we’re in motion. Even when we don’t fully understand the destination, the movement itself is what gives life its meaning and momentum.
The Narrow Perception of Life
And yet, so many of us have come to believe that the current structure of work, consumption, and day-to-day life is the ultimate endpoint of human existence. It’s like we’ve mistaken this temporary arrangement of roles, systems, and habits for the entire purpose of being alive.
When AI comes along—a tool with the power to liberate us from so much of the repetitive and uninspired work we’ve constructed around ourselves—it’s seen not as a gift or a tool for advancement, but as a threat to this narrow definition of life. People cling to what’s familiar, even when it’s far from fulfilling, because stepping into the unknown feels uncomfortable.
The Reality of Our Current Moment
The reality is that what we’re doing right now—our work, our consumer lifestyles, the entire structure of modern society—is just one tiny chapter in the complex story of humanity. It’s not the “be all end all.” It’s one iteration of how we’ve organized our time and resources, and it’s constantly evolving.
AI is not a threat to some universal “right way of living”; it’s an invitation to ask bigger questions about what comes next:
- What kind of work is truly important?
- How do we want to spend our time when the foundation is automated?
- What new possibilities does this technology open for us?
The Irony of AI’s Perception
The irony is that many of the tasks AI is automating are the very things most people hate doing and complain about anyway:
- The repetitive.
- The mundane.
- The low-cognition tasks that consume so much of our time and energy.
Yet instead of seeing AI as an opportunity to break free of those cycles, it’s perceived as a threat—because we’ve been so deeply conditioned to think that these roles and routines are the purpose of life.
What AI Represents
What we’re doing now is not the pinnacle of human achievement. It’s not the answer to the big questions about why we’re here. It’s a placeholder, a stepping stone.
AI isn’t taking us backward—it’s nudging us forward, away from what we’ve been conditioned to accept and toward something greater. The challenge isn’t to defend the status quo—it’s to let go of it, embrace the uncertainty, and start imagining what’s possible beyond it.
The Key Insight
In the grand scheme of things, we’re not losing anything. We’re gaining the freedom to redefine everything.