Part 1: The Struggle That Shapes Us
AI is woven into our daily lives so seamlessly that we barely notice it anymore. It writes emails, creates content, automates tasks, and makes decisions. Many people praise AI for making life easier, but here’s the question I keep coming back to: At what cost?
There’s no denying AI’s usefulness. It saves time, eliminates mundane tasks, and even helps generate ideas. But there’s something unsettling about how quickly we’re handing over our thinking, creativity, and decision-making to machines.
What happens when we stop struggling through challenges, reflecting on our own experiences, and learning by doing? What happens when we stop talking to each other, building confidence through effort, and growing by failing?
“Thinking is the hardest work there is, which is probably the reason why so few engage in it.” ~ Henry Ford
The Power of the Struggle
AI can generate text in seconds, but does it sharpen ideas the way struggling through a draft does?
A few weeks ago, I sat staring at a blank screen, trying to put my thoughts into words. Frankly, it wasn’t coming easily, and yes, it was frustrating—especially for someone who has written over 1,500 blog entries, three books, and hundreds of newspaper articles. I typed, deleted, reworded, and sat in frustration. But after a while, something happened—I began to put aside distractions and quiet my mind, and my ideas started to sharpen. The words took shape. And when I finally finished, it wasn’t just about having written something—it was about having thought through something deeply.
“If you don’t use your own brain, someone else will use it for you.” ~ Napoleon Hill
Struggling through a task isn’t just about getting from point A to point B—it’s about who we become in the process.
- Wrestling with words doesn’t just refine our writing; it refines our thinking.
- Pushing through a problem doesn’t just get us to a solution; it strengthens our ability to solve future problems.
- Working through a challenge doesn’t just build confidence; it teaches us resilience—the kind that no shortcut can replace.
AI might make things easier, but sometimes easy isn’t what we need. When we bypass the struggle, we miss out on the clarity, confidence, and creativity that only come from working things out for ourselves.
We can use AI to handle the mundane while we engage in meaningful work. But if we let AI do the creating while we handle the chores, we risk outsourcing our own growth.
The real question is: Are we trading away deeper thinking, problem-solving, and personal growth for convenience?
Are We Losing the Human Element?
AI can replicate human language, but it cannot replicate human experience. It can mimic tone, predict responses, and generate polished text but can’t truly understand human nuance.
- It can’t grasp the weight of silence in a tough conversation.
- It can’t collaborate with colleagues in a give-and-take exchange.
- It doesn’t experience the thrill of a breakthrough moment.
- It won’t carry the ache of disappointment or the joy of hard-earned success.
“Nothing will work unless you do.” ~ John Wooden
At its best, AI is a mirror—reflecting what we feed it. But human connection? That’s something more profound. It’s built through shared experiences, genuine emotions, and the messy, beautiful imperfection of being fully present with one another.
If we’re not careful, we risk replacing something real with something merely efficient and replacing the original with the counterfeit.
The Cost of Convenience
History has shown that every tremendous technological leap comes with trade-offs. The printing press gave us access to knowledge but weakened oral storytelling traditions. The internet connected the world but shortened our attention spans—these days, it’s hard to focus more than 15 minutes at a time! And now, AI offers speed and efficiency—but at what cost?
What happens to us if we let AI think for us, build for us, write for us, and create for us? Do we become more capable, or less? Every shortcut has a cost. Are we gaining speed at the expense of our own wisdom and growth?
A Challenge for You
Before you let AI take over another task, could you pause? What might you gain by doing it yourself? The struggle isn’t wasted effort—it’s where we grow.
And, if you’re thinking this AI thing is something in the future, check out our list of ways AI is currently in your life.