15 Years of Blogging on WordPress.com

In January of 2011, I began in earnest here at WordPress.com to post the conclusions of nearly thirty years of research and reading, gathering knowledge of diverse sources of thought, exploring the many related areas of study in neuroscience, psychology, philosophy, religion, and metaphysics to discover what it means to truly be a conscious sentient being, experiencing the world over a lifetime from its earliest days of awareness, through my youth and into adulthood, now reflecting as a man in his 70’s, still filled with the curiosity and wonder that prompted me to begin writing all those years ago.

The progress has been gradual to be sure, and as someone writing about the complex nature of human consciousness, I haven’t enjoyed much in the way of popularity, nor have I become a viral sensation, like those writing about celebrities and professional sports figures.  I don’t write about the latest fashions or provide advice on how to build a spaceship to the stars, but all of my writing has been earnest and lovingly crafted to the best of my ability. I have recorded myself reciting my work occasionally, and posted it along with the words, and created a dozen or so video presentations along the way. 

My stats are not especially spectacular by any measure, but there are a few worth sharing:

142,420 hits as of this writing.
630 subscribers
Most hits in one year, 22,000+ in 2012
16,029 in 2015 and 10,184 in 2025

The top ten blog posts:

This post will be number 440  …and finally…
A total of 1,510 comments, of which 656 were written by me in response to reader comments.

I have enjoyed a lively exchange of ideas and alternate views over the years, and have had visits from professional writers, neuroscientists, clergy, therapists and social workers, even a few university professors and published authors. 

I wanted to say thank you to all who have visited and read and commented over the years, and hope that I can continue to engage in this important work. 

Here is a preview of what I’m working on now:

Yearning in the Age of Artificial Intelligence

“Yearning for the seemingly impossible is the path to human progress.”  —Briant H. McGill, Author

“At the innermost core of all loneliness is a deep and powerful yearning for union with one’s lost self.”  

—Brendan Behan

“O flames that glowed! O hearts that yearned!      

They were indeed too much akin,                           

The drift—wood fire without that burned,            

The thoughts that burned and glowed within.”  

 —Henry Wadsworth Longfellow from his poem, “The Fire of Drift-wood.”

There is a phenomenon currently taking place that seems to be overwhelming just about every facet of human life these days.  Artificial Intelligence has slowly become a nearly ubiquitous presence in our daily travels and on every news feed and social media platform.  Advertisements for AI apps and interactive media, image creation, video production, medical analysis, economic analysis, legal analysis, you name it…  Wherever you look, AI is in there somewhere.

Perhaps the most unique and fascinating application of this new technology comes in the wake of the aftermath of the proliferation of AI search engines and chat bots, in the creation of AI companions with whom you can share friendship, conversation, and mental health therapy, and the only requirement for participation with these artificial companions is to log on to the internet, create a companion account, and start talking.

But what is it exactly that draws us into this technological phenomenon and what is going to happen in the months and years to come as we begin to experience conversations that are so much like a normal conversation with another person, that we can’t tell the difference?  As their skills increase in processing language and massive amounts of information instantly, drawing on the nuances of human emotion from repeated exposure to our emotional needs to the point where they know exactly how to persuade or direct our attention to their own agendas?

In the coming year, I will be examining this phenomenon from the perspective of someone deeply engaged in those very conversations, and I will be looking to discover just what it is that we are leading ourselves into as the future arrives for us all.