Struggle Till the Light Comes On

Imagine you’re in your first year of high school. The year is 1965. You’re a bright student. Your grades have always been above average. Only in math have you had to struggle. When it comes to numbers, you’ve been a solid ‘C’ student. You’ve even eked out a ‘B’ on a few occasions.

This is your first exposure to algebra. You’re struggling to figure out the concept of formulas. You’re in the middle of the semester and you’re concerned that, for the first time in your life, you might get a grade lower than ‘C’.

You’ve gone home many times and looked through your algebra book until your eyes are blurry.

You’ve slept with your algebra book under your pillow. You even looked up at the ceiling and asked if there’s anyone up there who could help you. You didn’t hear any voices or see any answers magically appear before your mind’s eye, so you fall asleep.

Another algebra assignment stares menacingly at you. You’ve never been a quitter, but you can’t figure out why you haven’t figured it out when your classmates have.

Calculations Add Up

You read in a magazine about a new gadget called a calculator. Apparently, it can solve complex math problems.

Even if your parents could afford to purchase one at the going rate of $2000, you couldn’t lug that 50 lb. machine to class with you.

Your eyes skim across the pages of your algebra book again. Something clicks. A formula you’ve looked confusingly at many times now add up.

You pull out some earlier assignments. Many of them have a ‘D’ circled in red ink. You even got an ‘F’ on one assignment. Formulas that once mystified you now make perfect sense.

The next day in algebra class, your teacher is speaking a language you understand. From that day forward, you ace all of your assignments.

One day, your teacher asks to speak to you after class. In a tone of voice mixed with amazement and suspicion she asks, “How did you manage to turn around your grades so quickly?”

You puzzle this reply, “The light came on.”

Aha

This metaphor captures the experience of the “aha” moment, the instant when persistent struggle suddenly yields understanding. This phenomenon resonates universally, where breakthroughs often follow periods of confusion and difficulty.

Reflecting on the past, one ponders the implications of having access to a calculator from day one. Instant illumination would occur, but it would be an external light. This leads to a contemplation of the role of AI, specifically ChatGPT, in students’ hands. Struggling students can now produce remarkable assignments, but this prompts the question, “Whose light is shining?”

Struggle isn’t a mere bystander; it influences outcomes. Struggles either erode or fortify individuals. The central query surfaces: if AI eliminates the struggle, how does this affect those overly reliant on technology? The potential repercussions involve diminished resilience and critical thinking skills. Dependency on AI might hinder the development of problem-solving abilities that arise from grappling with challenges.

The journey through academic struggles, akin to the experience of conquering algebra, demonstrates that overcoming obstacles often results in a profound understanding. While AI can enhance learning, it’s crucial to maintain a balance that cultivates resilience and independent thinking. The light of understanding shines brightest when earned through personal effort and perseverance.

Struggle With God

This algebraic story, like virtually every story I write reminds me of a scripture or story in the Bible.

The Bible story for today is commonly referred to as ‘Jacob Wrestles With God’. It’s a story of struggle.

Jacob found himself alone one night, but not exactly. The Bible states that a ‘Man’ wrestled with him.

The Bible will often introduce a person as a man, but as you read further, you discover that the figure is ‘other’ than a man. That’s the situation in the Book of Daniel chapter ten. The man is an angel.

Meet The Man

The Man Jacob encountered in the 32nd chapter of Genesis is none other than the pre-incarnate Jesus; aka, God.

Oddly enough, God didn’t prevail against Jacob in their marathon wrestling match. The dawn was breaking and God said, “Let Me go.” Jacob wouldn’t unless God blessed him.

Because Jacob struggled with God and prevailed, He blessed him by changing his name from Jacob’s to Israel.  

However, Jacob, aka Israel paid a price for wrestling with God. God knocked his hip out of joint and he walked away with a limp; presumably for the rest of his life.

My apologetics inform me that there is value and a reward for struggling with God. Trying to figure Him out with all the facets of His personality and behavior can be a struggle.

We don’t need to apologize, nor do we need to defend Him for doing things that people get offended about.

You would think Jacob would complain when he walked away from God with a limp.

Jacob didn’t comment on his probable hip pain. Jacobs’ aha moment was, “I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.

God Will Have His Way

This goes against some theology today that portrays God as a combination of a big fluffy teddy bear who would never harm a flea and a big smily Santa Clause who came to pass out gifts.

Some would say that the God of the old testament was a God of law while the God of the New Testament is a God of grace. That’s true. But remember, He’s the same God Who never changes.

If God is good all the time and all the time, why did Jesus let His cousin John (who, by the way, God sent as a messenger to announce, ‘Prepare the way of the Lord) get his head chopped off?

If God is good all the time, why did Steven get stoned to death after proclaiming the longest single recorded message in the New Testament about Jesus?

If God is good all the time, why did the Apostle Paul get persecuted beyond reason for taking the gospel to many nations?

If God is good all the time, why are Christians in muslim nations being killed for their faith?

1 Peter 3:17 states, For it is better, if it is the will of God, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.

This I know, God is good all the time and all the time, God is good!

And now we’ve come full circle. If a purpose of artificial intelligence is to free us from struggle, be forewarned students, AI could weaken your mind to the point that you are over-reliant, even to an addiction.