Reclaiming humanity

Intelligence is not a uniquely human attribute.

Perhaps it never was; it certainly isn’t now.

So what do you do if you derive your income, your status, your sense of self from a job or role that is based on this intelligence?

First, acknowledge the loss. Something we’ve relied on, we’ve built identities around, is no longer true. That hurts. And it can be scary. We must not run away from these feelings. Denial only prolongs the pain, increases the damage of the fallout.

Next, we must grieve. We must let go, consciously, of that which (whether we like it or not) serves us no longer. This is a process, and non-linear. It’s something I certainly am still coming to terms with in many ways.

Lastly, we can embrace the freedom this surrender grants us. We have always been more than ‘just’ intelligence. I don’t believe humans are here on this planet to update spreadsheets, to spend hours debugging config issues in code, to sit at a keyboard write corporate board reports.

Those were tasks we did in service of a higher purpose, whether we were aware of it or not: keeping ourselves and each other accountable, helping one another to achieve our goals, and telling each other stories to unite and inspire us.

Now, we must choose consciously. What will I do? This can only be answered by another question - why am I doing anything? And this too, forces us to ask: who am I? Who do I choose to be in this world?

The bullshit has been stripped away. For those of us who have used our intelligence as a shield, or a sword, in a world that seems harsh and unforgiving, this can leave us feeling naked, exposed.

But freed from the heaviness of our arms and armour, we may be surprised to find how light we truly are. How freely, and with what joy, we can move and express ourselves.

The first steps may be tentative. But soon, we will find ourselves leaping and bounding with enthusiasm. And then, as if by accident, we may find that when we leap we keep ascending.

Weighed down no longer, we can fly.