My father is a member of the greatest generation and I have always known him to be a man of high intelligence and integrity. When my Dad said he would do something, you could consider it done. He’s now in his 80’s and one of my favorite mental pictures of him is sitting in his chair working crossword puzzles. He’s a champ at crosswords! I suppose those mental challenges have helped keep his intelligence keen and sharp.

My Dad has followed my journey into technological advancement with interest and I have seen a spark in his eyes as he contemplates how rapidly technology has revolutionized our world. He mastered computer basics easily and uses email and digital photos. Without jumping to conclusions or refusing to consider the possibilities, he even embraced my stories of virtual world tours and presentations.

Recently, in a conversation about search engines and user-generated content (such as wikipedia), he paused for several minutes. I could see in his expression that he was considering future possibilities of artificial intelligence and nano-technology. Then my Dad spoke. “I suppose, before long, people will not need to think.”

We both looked at each other and understood something about the human mind. Something about the joy of discovery…the creative genius of figuring something out on our own, using our own brain. Having every answer at our fingertips may rob of us that joy. Completing a crossword puzzle with the help of google defeats the purpose.

All my life, I have heard that man was created in God’s image. If God is the great Creator, he made us as tiny creators who enjoy thinking and learning, discovering and producing art, story, music, inventions, and everything else we can come up with. The joy that exudes from the soul can never be artificially recreated. I am in awe of my father’s intelligence.

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