LUMOS, DREAMS, and the Path to Thrutopia
I like acronyms. LUMOS is an acronym.
Luminous Unisonance Modalities Orchestrating Synergies
I could say ‘Projects’
But I like to play with words
And an acronym is ..
A Creative Resonant Ordering Nudging Your Mind
So Lumos.
STEM is the acronym for ..
Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics
But it branched out and became
STEAM. Suggesting
A touch of flair and motive power
Science Technology Engineering Art and Mathematics
Implicit beauty in craft
But still a doing not a being, not a touching, not a true intending
Without DREAMS.
Dialogue, Reflection, Ethics, Awareness, Meditation and Storytelling
DREAMS
Each word contains itself and all the others.
“If you can dream and not make dreams your master.”
We arise, consciousness, internality
Arises from DREAMS.
It is DREAMS that will guide our Thrutopia
LUMOS will light our way and
STEAM will power our journey but
DREAMS will tell us at each turn
Which road to choose
That we may navigate at each turn
The one right path between Scylla and Charybdis
Between the devil and the deep blue sea,
That will take us safe and whole
To the shores of the future.
Making it Real
Words …
I like playing with words, sometimes I write poems and since I discovered that Suno AI can put my words to music I’ve been using that to create songs that say what I want to say. I’m grateful that generative AI has opened up new vistas of creativity for me.
NAIC …
A project idea that I’ve been talking about to community people in Newham is ‘Negotiating AI as a Community’ (NAIC). The premise is that as individuals we have no power in relation to institutions and corporations. Ordinary people have rarely had power, whether facing kings and corporations, unless supported by collectives or communities.
But now, for the most part, those collectives and communities seem to hold no real power if they can even be said to exist at all. Individuals find themselves naked and helpless before behemoths that have absorbed all power, robbing us of agency over our own lives and even over our speech and thought. The dominance of the corporations grows as they use the technological and computational powers they own to make techno-serfs of us.
Most will bow down to the new technologies and to AI, becoming captive and captivated consumers. Some, a few, will eschew the corporate owned contrivances, from Facebook to LLMs, entirely. That choice may or may not save them because hiding and closing our eyes does not make us invisible to power or invulnerable to the consequences of the misuse of power, now less than ever.
A third choice, the one that Negotiating AI as a Community represents, involves learning and using the new technologies to good purpose – even developing them. It involves questioning the use of AI and other technologies and the narratives they present to us as solutions. And it involves holding on to our humanity and that of others – keeping and deepening our human connections, our collectives and communities.
These three principles can be summarised as:
1. Learn to use the tools – AI and the other tools and also the system.
2. Question the tools and the answers they present to us. Question everything.
3. Connect to human community and the internality within ourselves, others and the world.
In a nutshell it is ‘Learn, Question, Connect’ (LQC)
STEAM and DREAMS …
Connecting to our shared humanity is not an afterthought – it is central and essential but increasingly neglected. I don’t have to cite articles about the epidemic of loneliness. I have, there’s a link, but we all know this, don’t we?
In embracing technology, with all its speed and noise and colour, we are neglecting to embrace ourselves, each other and the natural world
To overcome that neglect I have proposed that DREAMS – Dialogue Reflection Ethics Awareness Meditation and Storytelling, should be seen as the existential (inner, reflective) complement to the instrumental STEAM – Science Technology Engineering Art and Mathematics. Let STEAM be the engine but let DREAMS be the driver.
LUMOS …
Lumos? Lumos started as my whimsical naming of ChatGPT or my interaction with it – then as I started to use other LLMs, Claude for example, Lumos came to represent all of them – so now when I explore an issue or conduct research, I consult not just ChatGPT, but also Claude, and soon, Gemini. They are all Lumos. We can unpack the acronym another time.
Consider LUMOS (we can unpack the acronym another time) a playful metaphor for the integration of our use of AI as individuals and as communities into our lives and work so that we can work, in concert, on creating a Thrutopia in Newham.
Thrutopia …
Thrutopia, I’m happy to say, is not a concept that originates with me but it fits perfectly with the conceptual frameworks I have described and I will adopt and adapt it and recommend it to partners in Newham. I’m proposing to colleagues currently looking to bring community groups together in August for ‘workshops’, ‘activities’ and ’roundtable discussions’, that they adopt, as a core theme, the co-creation of a Newham ThruTopia
“Thrutopia” is a concept coined by philosopher and writer Rupert Read, blending the words “through” and “utopia”. It describes a vision of a future where humanity actively navigates present challenges, particularly the climate crisis, towards a better, more desirable future. Unlike traditional utopias, which often depict a perfect but distant ideal, thrutopias focus on the journey of getting there, acknowledging difficulties and emphasizing present-day action.
Key aspects of Thrutopia:
Emphasis on the present:
Thrutopias acknowledge the urgency of the current situation and encourage action in the here and now.
Visionary storytelling:
They utilise various forms of storytelling (novels, films, etc.) to explore potential pathways to a positive future, making it relatable and inspiring.
Focus on collective agency:
Thrutopias emphasise the power of communities and individuals to shape their future through collaborative efforts and shared visions.
Rejection of fatalism:
They offer an alternative to dystopian narratives, promoting hope and encouraging active engagement in creating a better world.
Acknowledgement of challenges:
Unlike utopian visions that often gloss over difficulties, thrutopias recognise the obstacles and complexities involved in navigating towards a positive future.
Flourishing for all life:
Thrutopias aim to create a future that benefits not just humans but also the broader ecosystem and all forms of life.
Beyond scarcity and powerlessness:
Thrutopian visions are predicated on sufficiency, agency, and connection, moving away from narratives of scarcity, separation, and powerlessness.
Practicality and vision:
Thrutopias are not just abstract ideals; they are meant to inspire practical actions and policy changes that can lead to a better future.
The above description of the Thrutopia concept was generated by Google’s ‘AI Overview’ – They really are everywhere.
Trutopia will be adopted by Newham Mosaic and Netstorms Limited as a core concept giving direction to our work. I think it is a useful ‘umbrella concept’ and context under which we as a Newham community developers and activists can discuss our work.
Join us. Let’s make it real.