Machined Soul

Rev. Joseph Cleveland opened "Machined Soul," the sermon he wrote on the occasion of Ayudha Puja, by reflecting on the report on screen time his phone sends him each week.

"This week it says: ‘Your screen time is down 27 percent from last week.’ Should I feel proud or good about that? I always feel a bit sheepish when it tells me that my screen time has gone up. But I feel pressures from my culture/society pushing in opposite directions: I shouldn't be on my phone so much; I should be making TikTok videos. I should spend more time outdoors; I should spend more time reading or watching the news." 

We asked Fotor AI to generate an illustration for this article. Above is its concept of “Machined Soul.”

He went on to muse on the big question technology is forcing upon us: 

"What does it mean to be human? And how is technology today an aid or a threat to being human?"

"Our tech is taking on a life of its own," he continued. Which raises the question: "What does it mean to be alive?”

Discussing AI's potential to "reinforce how we disrespect and dehumanize others," Rev. Joe said, "we need to be treating these systems with a degree of care and concern that it's not clear we're showing right now." 

If we approach AI with an openness to awe, "we might better appreciate how AI might be used an abused," he added. 

"I wonder if we approached the technology with the practice of reverence if that might help us to pause if only for a moment to reflect on the ethics and morality we want ourselves and our creations to embody before the new technology becomes for us a second skin." 

As a lead-in to the sermon, Rev. Joe led what we called the "blessing of tools and devices." We distributed Zeiss lens wipes in our offertory basks, opened them and cleaned our smartphones and glasses.

At UU Boca Raton, Ron Roth spoke on “Ayudha Puja and the Value of Work. All were invited to bring a favorite tool or photo of one. They also had a Puja table decorated with orange, purple, and red flowers and plums, apples and grapes. 

“More than half our congregation brought a tool to honor and place on the table,” Ron reports. “Our Zoom participants also honored tools and listed them in chat. Our members want to do this every year now.” 

That’s good to hear. We’re already planning Ayudha Puja 2024.