Down at the Crossroads

With the advent of AI, we find ourselves at a crossroads in time and history.

In the state of Mississippi, where I was raised as a child in the 1950’s, there was a tale told among the ole blues-singing soulsters of yesterday and days gone by, that the devil—whoever, whatever that is—went down to the “crossroads” to make a deal with whoever showed up.

Be that as it may, whether it is neither here, nor there, or anywhere. . .

we see that the contest harmony and invention is being played out far beyond the scripted staffs of musical history, political history, art history or just plain ole human history, always presenting consequences more grave than the mere good sense and good works of the people who inhabit this planet,

Still to be found in the world today is the ongoing contest of order v. chaos.

Here’s the ever-present duel between right and wrong; there’s the Establishment beating back dissidents, fat cats banishing immigrants, the haves taking maximum control over them that ain’t got.

And we shan’t shan’t neglect to mention the plight of them who think they. should be running the show, being perpetually put down by that are in charge of it.

And here we learn we do have words that must be said; yet we have words that should never be spoken, but someone will pronounce those words sooner or later. Yes, we do encounter in this life lines in the sand that daren’t be crossed, and prohibitions that beg to be violated; we find rules that must be broken, and sometimes we encounter the terrible contests of convention vs. contention.

And then there is AI? So what’s up with that?

King of Soul