Chapter 1-5 The Value of Writing

Since the content of this book does not have previous research records, from the moment these words were created, they will inevitably face endless scrutiny. Throughout history, human progress has not been a coincidence but rather driven by pioneers with a mission to lead and push boundaries. All pioneers have done the same thing: they chose difficult paths and walked them with passion!

In the past 2 years, artificial intelligence has iterated at an incredible speed. I have seen some online saying: "With the rapid progress of AIGC, it won't be long before this world splits into an AI world and an AI-disabled world." Those born in the 1950s are amazed, those in the 1960s are stunned, and many from the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s struggle to keep up. What should the next generation born in the 2000s learn and how should they learn it?

A fair prediction is that in the future, humans will cherish the value of writing even more.

Here, writing does not refer to texts and books generated by computers or AI, but to original writings recorded by human writing after thoughtful consideration.

Personally, as a skilled user of ChatGPT, based on my collaboration with GPT over the past year, I can instantly tell differences between human-written and GPT-generated texts. However, while writing this book, I required myself not to use GPT. I feared that GPT's language patterns might constrain my thoughts, and I also recognized that GPT uses much erroneous information widely spread on the internet, leading to mistakes upon mistakes. Many people find it hard to distinguish between the false and the true, and much of the "knowledge" online is drifting further from the truth.

But can ordinary people do the same? Can children do the same? We see young people swiping through short videos, absorbing fragmented knowledge yet struggling to discern the genuine from the false. The three-year pandemic had children learning with smartphones and tablets; how many children find it difficult to distinguish the truth from falsehood in the vast ocean of the internet? Can any teacher or parent genuinely believe that self-directed browsing of phones and videos will provide children with a "systematic skyscraper" of knowledge? How many young adults are lost in the daily routine of "flick of a finger"?

In conclusion, the value of human-written words lies in their ability to convey genuine thought and insight, a value that becomes ever more critical as technology advances. We must encourage thoughtful writing and reading to preserve the depth and authenticity of human knowledge.

With the speed at which AI generates articles and answers, it won't be long before it becomes challenging to distinguish the authenticity of information on the internet. We are already witnessing a flood of AI-generated articles and "matrix" marketing videos on various new media platforms. Generative AI is so powerful that you only need to provide keywords to instantly produce countless articles and short videos with an extremely low "duplication rate." However, where do these sources come from? They all originate from the same "information pool." Theoretically, if a piece of misinformation or pseudo-knowledge is placed online, it can spread geometrically in an instant. Since these articles are generated based on keywords, they can easily be prioritized in searches or pushed to interested users in a personalized manner, thus actively disseminating false knowledge.

So, how can we obtain true knowledge?—Return to original works!

For thousands of years, our ancestors have passed down the splendid culture of the Chinese nation through words and books. 2500 years ago, the Buddha lived as Siddhartha Gautama, and Guanyin Bodhisattva lived as Princess Miao Shan. The Buddhas and Bodhisattvas personally descended to impart the dharma, using Buddhist scriptures to convey right knowledge and right views, helping beings to free themselves from suffering and attain happiness. The Buddha's original intent was to explain the truth of the universe's operations through words, and to distill Buddhist names and mantras through words as "convenient methods (shortcuts)" for people to communicate with their own spirituality.

Therefore, stepping away from computers and putting down smartphones—the passive way of acquiring knowledge—and choosing to actively seek knowledge by reading classics and good books may be the most effective way to obtain true knowledge in the future.

Finally, I quote Dong Qing's opening remarks during an interview with the writer Mo Yan on a TV program:

"If science changes the world dramatically,

then literature influences the world like gentle spring rain.

Literature is not history,

but it records those hidden stories,

preventing them from being easily swept away by the wind.

Literature is not a textbook,

but it allows everyone who approaches it

to see a broader world.

Literature is not reality,

but it lets us freely shuttle between reality and imagination..."

By valuing and seeking original written works, we can better ensure the accuracy and depth of the knowledge we acquire, maintaining a meaningful connection to our cultural and intellectual heritage.