I have saved you from death

Yet, your greatest achievements came in my absence

Who am I?

I am fear — Fear of rejection, failure, of looking foolish. It’s deeply ingrained in us, so it must have served our ancestors well. But how come this gut instinct is so mis-calibrated today?

Picture this: You're in the savannah and hear a “grr” sound from behind a bush, but you can’t tell whether it is a small cat or a dangerous lion.

• If you stay and it is a Lion → death (lose 1000 units of energy)
• If you run → survival (lose 1 unit of energy)

So even if the probability of it being a lion is only 1 in 1000, you should run. This is an extremely sensitive warning system…

So today, this warning system is triggered all the time. Often, by things that do not warrant this level of stress and worry!

Therefore, we need conscious effort before we lean into our impulsive response to external stimuli. We need to build the muscles to stop and ask, “Does this response truly serve my long-term goals?”.

Between stimuli and response lies our freedom.

This is what it means to be more than an AI.