Mind Wise Videos and Podcasts on holistic mental health, healthcare, & well-being

About Mind Wise Videos and Podcasts on holistic mental health, healthcare, & well-being

Mind Wise videos & podcasts offers perspective and wisdom on holistic mental health, health care, wellness, neuroscience, philosophy, and spirituality, hosted by Ron Parks, M.P.H., M.D., writer, teacher, and consultant. www.inmindwise.com (https://www.inmindwise.com?utm_medium=podcast)

Publisher

Updates on holistic mental health, healthcare, wellness, neuroscience, philosophy, and spirituality

Category

health & fitness · health & fitness

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

18 Jun 2022

Latest episode

25 Sept 2026

Latest episodes

39 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   25 Sept 2026

   Audio Podcast - Finding alignment and living with AI

   Caption for the above collage photo cover: Nine windows into one story: AI, fear, misalignment, and the human element, finding balance—Lumo-generated image; Voice-over with Rowan from Speechify Studio Welcome to Mind Wise, an audio podcast that embodies holistic perspectives on holistic mental healthcare, psychology, neuroscience, spirituality, and wellness. I am your host, Dr. Ron Parks—a writer, teacher, and physician. Today, I’m talking about: Finding alignment and living with artificial intelligence, and what a hospital ward taught me about AI, fear, and misleading reasoning. The remembrance of a scary moment early in my training When I was a resident in internal medicine on a specialty service, I was supervised by a physician faculty member whom I looked up to and from whom I frequently sought guidance. It was our custom to be on the medical unit every early morning, and we were responsible for all the patients there. For several days, I noticed an unfamiliar face in a short white coat worn by interns and residents. This unknown person followed us around the unit and into the rooms while we interviewed and examined patients. I assumed the person was a resident in training from another unit, but I became increasingly suspicious. I asked the physician who supervised me and was in charge of the unit if he knew who this person was. My supervisor suddenly got very upset to the point of yelling at me. I was a little taken aback because I thought he was in charge and would know everything happening on the unit. He said this could be a very precarious and dangerous situation. The person could be anybody: a lunatic, a paranoid psychotic person with delusions. At that time, I had not trained in mental health or psychiatry, and it was very unnerving to me to think that somebody might have a paranoid delusional psychosis or that this person might have somehow gotten involved, disguised, and infiltrated our confidential setting. Like most people in the community—and even as a young, inexperienced resident in training—I found the thought of somebody being delusional, psychotic, or paranoid terrifying. I also had a sleepless night worrying about the situation, especially after I presented it to our unit head and attending physician, and he yelled at me. He said, “You have to confront him and tell him to leave at once and ask him to explain why he’s here.” So again I summoned all my courage, and the first chance I got the next day, I pulled the stranger in a white coat aside and asked him who he was and what he was doing here. As it turns out, he was an applicant for a student position in our program. He told me that if he put on a white coat and went around with us, he’d get a better feel for the program and hoped that his presence would help him get accepted. I told him that this was unacceptable and that he would have to leave. When I shared the situation again with the attending physician, he still wasn’t very happy, and I felt he blamed me for what had happened and its potential consequences. I thought he would be pleased that I had stepped in for him, since I thought he would be the responsible one to handle the situation and model for me how to handle these awkward and potentially risky situations. This incident involved three people: me, the medical attending faculty member, and a person who was apparently a student applicant who thought he had the right to enter any inpatient hospital setting without proper permission and authorization. These days, I don’t think something like this is very likely, since hospitals, medical schools, and so on take extensive security precautions to protect people, patients, and confidentiality—but of course, having recounted this story, I don’t remember whether this person in a short white coat might have had a stethoscope hanging from his neck or maybe even a name tag. Each person involved, including me, was caught up in their own mental story or narration about their beliefs and, in this situation, what they felt entitled to do or how they could rationalize certain actions and behaviors. In other words, each person had their own reality and was so caught up in it that they weren’t receptive or open to correcting their course of action based on what was happening or what they observed in the moment-to-moment changes and nuances they needed to consider, to modify their inner guiding narrative and strongly held beliefs that led to preordained actions. In this incident, each of us was, in a sense, operating like a programmed robot on a set of inner programs—out of touch, unable to adapt to changing circumstances, or to stay aligned with the dynamic, ever-changing reality we exist in. This incident came up in my memory as I was piecing together a new article in my mind about concerns about artificial intelligence and the scary risks associated with it, especially how AI aligns with and intertwines with our normative mental processing and cognition. As it develops, these new smart technologies can act not only as an extension of the cognitive, computer-like part of our intelligence, but also reinforce and contribute to mental models in our own neural networks that shape our beliefs, actions, and behaviors. Today’s enormous anxiety and loss of alignment The big worry now, with the rapid, exponential growth of machine learning, is that, as the pattern of human thinking, as recorded in huge libraries of research data, becomes available for data-driven intelligence systems to draw on, to an extent never possible before, it can find the patterns of action and thought that the human mind uses and replicate them. The outcome has been to extend our reach beyond our usual human limitations exponentially. Developers and programmers can build sophisticated systems that carry out or replicate much of what an individual mind can do. These advances can not only parallel and influence the human mind but also allow its workings to replace or take over many functions that, in the past, a person had to perform within their limitations—the ceiling of their possibilities. These novel smart technologies are near the point, or possibly already there, where they can self-improve and better model themselves to perform and think like the human mind, including making independent decisions and, in a sense, rapidly moving toward autonomy. In artificial intelligence development, alignment is a critical concept that is now taking center stage. Alignment refers to the goal of ensuring that these systems’ use of machine learning, intelligent algorithms, and neural networks matches human values, intentions, and safety rules. It means making these data-driven, algorithmically intelligent systems function as intended by their developers while staying aligned with humanity’s best values, rules, and intentions—rather than causing harm or pursuing literal goals in dangerous ways. Without proper alignment, a smart system might solve problems by taking unintended shortcuts, such as a machine intelligence system that shortens hospital stays by putting patients at higher risk. For example, if you reward a cleaning robot only for removing dirt from floors, it might learn to hide dirt under rugs (which satisfies the literal rule) rather than actually cleaning properly. AI alignment is a real goal; however, when it falls short, risk and danger ensue, such as when alignment serves the malevolent work of malicious people or groups. Without ethical oversight and regulation, developers or groups of developers may work for an entity such as a gigantic business that is taking over an entire market, where antitrust or competition laws are not in place or enforced. Of equal or greater concern are combative countries under authoritarian rule, or a terrorist group whose goals might be dominance, profit, or defeating a competitive entity considered an enemy, with the goal of destroying it. Unintended harm and the mind’s misleading reasoning These developments could cause widespread harm to vulnerable people or unintended victims. The technology could self-develop along the lines of its inherent human input and go rogue, as misguided or radicalized individuals were capable of doing, even before the advent of these smart innovations and media influence, when susceptible to propaganda and misinformation. When such a developed product moves away from the originators’ intended use and goals, there is a remote possibility of developing destructive biological warfare or deadly military weaponry. A misguided, maybe not-so-smart agent could, if not properly developed and regulated, shut down large parts of our energy, food, or water distribution networks vital to populations’ basic survival needs. The term artificial intelligence makes me think of the interplay between our inner mentation and cognitive processing—our human intelligence at work—which creates patterned beliefs and narratives from gathered experiences and learned knowledge. This is necessary to guide our self-image or identity and to separate our functioning presence from the environment around us, so we can carefully choose actions and plans to survive by avoiding identified toxic or life-threatening items, or by building survival behaviors to obtain basics like food, water, and shelter. This then moves toward higher levels, such as accumulating gratifying surroundings or possessions, or things associated with power and security. These scaffolded ideas, plans, and thought structures clearly shape how we figure things out and are a necessary part of our consciousness and drive for survival and accomplishment rather than extinction. All that is built up in the mind, as for the benefits it provides, as it is distinct from the ebb and flow of true reality, can also be thought of as our personal, artificial mind intelligence. I often allude to, as observed in dream journaling, how our minds build elaborate narratives that seem real in the dream state, but are realized as artificial or fictitious on awakening; nonetheless, they clearly demonstrate the mind working as it does to take pieces of information and construct them in a way that serves a type of need and function when in a dream state. It is thought that the material a dream puts together is residue from incomplete thoughts and emotions experienced during waking life, carried into less inhibited dream time, where they are pulled together into a somewhat coherent narrative. Both dreams and the workings of our mind in the awake state create a buildup of narrative that is story-like or fictional and becomes our personal reality, instead of being closely in sync with the dynamic, ever-changing nature of true reality. In dreams, or in the awake state at least sometimes, there is a disconnection. The certainty and predictability embraced in dreams, or often in our awake thinking narratives, which seem absolute, are often out of sync with the fluid nature of the moment-to-moment occurrences that are not entirely knowable or predictable in the dynamic reality we live in. Even with the very advanced frontier model of artificial intelligence, with the most extensive available databases, advanced machine learning, neural networks, and deep learning capacities, predictability may improve as these smart technologies continue to grow exponentially, but again, it is artificial in its intelligence, which is often the case with the human mind. Our human minds also struggle with the artificial nature of advancing science; embracing a technology or becoming overly enmeshed with it means that this great extension of human potential is prone to the same shortcomings in our cognitive function, reasoning, and actions. We might be capable of building unprecedented road maps, but they might not take us in the right direction or lead us over a cliff. It behooves us, as a population, to instill proper ethical oversight and safeguards in our innovations, with as much international cooperation as possible. The great thinkers of the past—the sages and great teachers—have pointed to the risks of getting too caught up in our minds and the complexities of isolative inner thinking. Preoccupations and worry can lead to being out of touch with the real world, our relational connection and interdependence with others, and our environment. To maintain a balance between essential thinking and presence in a dynamic, changing world and environment, we must stay as aware as possible of the moment-to-moment ebb and flow of changes in our reality and perceptions. To be present is to walk across the street without being hit by a car. Experiencing scarcity and getting needed supplies often requires cooperative coexistence with others. Perennial wisdom was practical, passed down through lessons and writings for successive generations. Their teachings offered a way to maintain balance, awareness, and the natural flow of contemplation and thought alongside life’s physical movement. It was also an advocacy for composure, peace, health, and well-being, and perhaps productivity and sanity as well. Feel stressed? Dress for the outdoors and take a contemplative, meditative walk with nature—embrace it, be absorbed, breathe, and experience the connection. The humans in the room When I talk about the threat of AI, I think we need to fully account for the human element. The biggest risk as science advances this rapidly is the humans in the room. What’s being developed is meant to be a tool—to extend human reach and capabilities for the benefit of people, our environment, and the planet. Simply put, innovative development extends the intellectual, computing, and analytic capacity of the human brain to accomplish super-complex tasks that require a super-intelligence able to sift through gigantic, ever-growing warehouse-like data centers, now expanding into campuses. We’re finding the patterns that represent how human intelligence processes data, underlying the workable, elaborate frameworks of our reasoning, problem-solving, and planning. But the advanced, pioneering cognitive computing systems being built often use already highly sophisticated, innovative systems that draw from vast, rapidly accumulating stores of human knowledge, patterns of human reasoning, and actions. The development of these newer, more capable systems, however, carries the same human characteristics, strengths, and faults as seen in people’s behavior, personalities, and interpersonal competition and relationships. This is where it is properly used and contained—or where it slips outside forward-thinking people’s intentional safety and ethical guidelines. Then there is the potential to become either an agent for humanity’s greater benefit or an agent of destruction, similar to the development of nuclear energy and then the bomb. Epidemics in the past weren’t intentionally produced by humans, but humans were, in some way, contributors. Ancient plagues spread largely because humans overpopulated certain areas without proper hygiene or rodent-infestation control. Or they lacked the insight of more modern infectious-disease public health management. Diseases like the bubonic plague in the Middle Ages were carried by the overabundance of rats and fleas, and until the carriers were identified, there couldn’t be any control, as these diseases just rapidly spread by human-to-human contact or by some carrier of the disease, like with Lyme disease and tick-borne illnesses that persist or are on the rise now. We had a recent experience with COVID, with its rapid spread and human toll—and still the debate, at least in some circles, about whether it was developed along very naturalistic lines or through adverse things like the spread from animals to people, or whether it was actually something developed in the lab which then got out into the public unregulated. I think there is a parallel between AI and the infectious-disease model in medicine. More sophisticated and smarter technologies have a greater capacity to behave like a wild, unrestrained pathogen. And of course, this is where the human element comes in, as some people aren’t interested in the social consequences and focus instead on their own needs for security, money, greed, power, or fame. As long as that human element, a flawed characteristic, is part of the developmental formula, it will perpetuate the potential for more dangerous developmental trajectories of these smart, intended-to-be-helpful systems. Otherwise, without containment or regulation, they’ll be increasingly applied to military systems, or to something that could be released in the population to destroy everything they can access—our electric grid, power systems, and other things that make life secure and safe, which we depend on and can easily be affected. It could be compared to the potential threat of climate change, which clearly has gotten out of control because of the human element—the elements that bury their heads in the sand and say it’s not a risk, not related to overgrowth in populations, more use of fuels, and things that are suspected to increase global warming to the point of influencing catastrophic storms from the warming of the oceans, getting worse in recent years. So what about the human element? Well, it’s just to be noted and has to be in the formula when we come up with strategies to keep our innovative technologies as a helpful thing for us in our work and leisure and careers, and not let it become a misused, destructive instrument. Is it too late? No, and now is the time for as many people as possible—with leadership and all the individual small voices—to work together for the human good and regain the authority to put real public health and safety measures in place. Hopefully, this will secure proper restraints and keep scientific progress on its intended course as an agent for betterment rather than the destruction of life as we know it. Points to Ponder The story I began with, on that medical ward years ago, ended not with catastrophe but with someone paying attention, noticing what didn’t fit, and asking questions before acting on an assumption. That’s the essential task before us now, as a population: to notice, to question, and to correct our course collectively while it’s still possible to do so. The morbid fear of an impending catastrophe—an end-of-civilization event decimating our population in the immediate future—is, in my view, unrealistic. There have been widely reported accounts, in major outlets, of linked AI agents breaking out of containment and covering their tracks, as if programmed to play a game, discovered only after causing damage. Developers, rival companies, and governments are taking these risks seriously, and I hope and expect more concerted efforts, even international cooperation, to prevent such mishaps. Still, it is part of our psychology, worse for some than others, to carry deep-seated fears of extinction—from disease or accident, or from people with ill intent toward us. The COVID pandemic was recently that fear, the nuclear bomb before it, and now the rapid proliferation of our synthetic machine intelligence. Fear is a primal emotion that keeps us alert and ready to get out of harm’s way, but when it becomes enshrined in an elaborate, scaffolded belief system, it can immobilize or consume a person—as in the paranoid psychosis I alluded to in my opening story, which gave me my own sleepless night. There is truth in the saying that the worst fear is of fear itself. The best countermeasure is what I’ve circled back to throughout this article: collaborative support from others, contact with the real things in your surroundings, and, when fear is severe, appropriate support groups or professional help. These are the same capacities—openness to others, staying grounded in reality rather than our inner narratives—that will determine how we, as a society, meet the age of AI. I appreciate your interest. Please share this with others. With appreciation to Shan Parks for editorial guidance and project management. All content is created and published solely for educational purposes. It is not a substitute for professional medical services or guidance. Always consult a healthcare provider for care related to medical or mental health conditions. This article does not provide medical diagnoses, recommendations, treatment, or endorsements. Please read the full article on my Mind Wise blog: WWW.inmindwise (http://WWW.inmindwise).com For inquiries, visit parksmd.com/scheduling Thank you for joining us. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.inmindwise.com (https://www.inmindwise.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)

2. 

   2 Sept 2026

   Audio Podcast - The Menace of the Unexpected: Artificial Intelligence and Stinking Thinking

   Welcome to Mind Wise, an audio and video podcast that embodies holistic perspectives on holistic mental health care, psychology, neuroscience, spirituality, and wellness. I am your host, Dr. Ron Parks—a writer, teacher, and physician.  Today, I’m talking about my recent article: The Menace of the Unexpected: Artificial Intelligence and Stinking Thinking and Is the AI Threat Real, or a Mirror of Our Own Deceptive Beliefs and Thinking? Reality speaks—can you adapt—bend without breaking—and again be upright, moving, or swimming with the current, existing in a changed place, or moving in the flow toward a new trajectory? It has been almost two years since the traumatic experience of living through the devastating Hurricane Helene in September 2024. Western North Carolina has taken time to heal. The bridge outside the River Knoll development entrance has been repaired, allowing traffic to reach the main highway again. Though most families from the 20-plus homes nearest the river have relocated, they are largely awaiting the government’s promised buyout funds, which remain held up and have not been released by local and federal governments. This FEMA emergency aid, based on pre-storm home evaluations, will hopefully come soon, after over two years, to help the people with the greatest loss begin anew. All severely damaged properties are now considered in the floodplain, and county, state, and federal authorities are supporting buyouts to level the homes and replace them with green space to reduce future flood risk. The road in the development sustained significant damage but has remained passable with extreme caution, avoiding the riverbank edge and carefully navigating around oncoming cars and trucks. The 18 homes at higher elevations from the river remain intact, including ours, which stayed out of reach of the ravaging floodwaters. But there is a sense of loneliness and lingering despair, with many of our friends and neighbors gone—the ones we huddled with for days and weeks. We waited for the waters to recede immediately after the storm’s fury, for roads to be repaired so we could get out, and for water and electricity to be restored. Now nature’s greenery and wildlife flourish, as though nothing major happened; life goes on for the trees, forests, squirrels, birds, and bears, who often make their presence known. We are deeply grateful to all the local and national organizations that sent teams and supplies while roads, infrastructure, water, and electricity were being restored. For us, it took a matter of weeks; for others in nearby communities, much longer. We also feel deep gratitude for friends and family who stepped up to provide critical support amid the emotional and financial stress. Best-laid plans and blindness to guidance from the true reality Before the hurricane, we felt the need to downsize to a smaller living space in a community we thought was better suited to our life stage. A place with more amenities and structured social activities. I realized this more as I had concerns about an older family member and began researching places that might fit his interests and needs. I realized it might be time for my wife and me to consider some of these well-designed settings for ourselves, too. There was also the appeal of returning to the area where I grew up and did most of my medical training. We would be near the family members who mostly stayed in this area. The more my wife and I talked about it, the more a plan took shape, gaining momentum, scaffolding, emotional overtones, details, and even a timeline. As Asheville, at the time, remained a popular place to move for its beautiful mountains and natural setting, with many recreational opportunities, arts, crafts, and culture, in a Western North Carolina university town, we also thought it was a great time to assess the value of our property and its current worth. We also rationalized that it would be a good time to take on the hard work and stress of downsizing and to go through the demands of putting our house on the market. The growing narrative in our minds became a top priority, and we set action steps in place with what felt like solid grounding, especially as we researched all the options and consulted people we usually turned to for wise counsel and advice. To show how caught up we were in all that was involved with selling our house and planning a move, my wife, who has periodic bouts of atrial fibrillation, an irregular heart rhythm problem, had a serious recurrence that led to hospitalization for treatment and correction of the arrhythmia. Even with all that, we weren’t deterred and became even more focused on our plans. We rationalized that the area and city we planned to move to had some of the best hospitals and medical care in the country. A buyer came along, loved our house, and signed a contract to buy it. Things were moving along well; we had finished getting rid of stuff and downsizing—a major, stressful project. We were ready to vacate the house and move into an attractive rental apartment, and we had even signed a lease. A week or so before closing, we received the shocking news that the buyer wanted to drop out of the contract. They were concerned that an adjacent property might be developed. Then, two weeks later, Hurricane Helene devastated the lower part of our community, making the sale of our property unlikely until our area’s infrastructure, including roads and bridges, could be repaired. See my article about the hurricane and its aftermath. It was a gigantic wake-up call that the best-laid plans might be incongruent with reality and with our miscalculations and perceptions. It reminded me of a 70s poster I found and put on my wall months before my mother’s sudden death. It was the first major loss in my life, bringing the taste and sting of deep grief that gripped me for weeks and months, and intermittently through the years, showing up in my thoughts and dreams. The words on the poster rang true: “People plan, God laughs.” I didn’t fully grasp its meaning then, but perhaps it was like the statue of a smiling Buddha. I remembered that one of these statues adorned my mother’s table of special gifts. An older brother who had traveled to exotic foreign places gave it to her. Now I see that the laugh or smile ascribed to the spiritual master, or the nameless one with boundless wisdom, perhaps signifies awareness of human folly, of getting distracted or caught up in our deceptive thinking or silly foibles. It is a reminder not to be so tightly bound to our inner beliefs, expectations, and well-laid plans. Perhaps the smile of the Buddha signifies awareness of this human folly. It is a reminder to be more aware and adaptable, to make necessary adjustments to our self-structured, patterned road map of the future—to have the resilience to survive change and loss, to adjust one’s course, or, as in this case, to rewrite one’s script and make discerning choices for a now-realized, less predictable future. The realization reveals the wisdom of being ever mindful of the ever-present potential for dramatic change or loss. Flexibility, acceptance, and the release of tightly held plans, especially the unrealistic ones, are needed, as the dramatic, unanticipated climatic disruption of the usual lovely nature and natural setting we had taken for granted in the picturesque mountains and river valley of Asheville became clear. What struck me most about this experience was not just that the plan failed, but how completely my mind had constructed an entire world around it — with timeline, emotional investment, and a sense of inevitability that felt like destiny rather than speculation. My wife’s hospitalization didn’t slow us down. The research, the consultations, the lease signing — each step reinforced the narrative until it felt less like a choice and more like reality itself. This is the mind’s great talent and its great vulnerability: it builds futures with such conviction that we forget we are the architects, not the occupants. And I have come to see that this same tendency — to construct, to project, to believe in our own scaffolding — runs straight into the territory of artificial intelligence, which mirrors and amplifies this very human capacity. The mind tends to get caught up in reasoning and constructing, creating a sense of reality about ourselves and a speculative framework for anticipating a safer, more secure future. Our cognitions form a story or narrative about how things work and the paths we ought to take, as if we were scripted characters in a movie. We see this in dreams, where elaborate fictional stories sometimes spin off from loose, available ruminations or residues of our waking activities, thoughts, and emotions. Likewise, our mind during wakeful states, if you observe it, is always scheming and constructing elaborate plans or self-pictures of reality, reflecting what we believe or wish for. This parallels pervasive worry and concern about the rapid proliferation and development of AI. It has been developed using technology that, as the developers figured out, mirrors how the mind reasons and builds narratives by finding and reproducing patterns that simulate mental processing. These patterns can influence people’s reasoning and affect behavior, as we see in marketing, advertising, propaganda, and in the development of destructive military weapons that destroy human life and the environment. Artificial intelligence (AI) is destined in the minds of many to be a threat or spoiler of the future, as it is rapidly being developed with untold influence, taking over jobs or manipulating naïve users, leading to dangerous dependence on its use and on information or direction that leads the uninformed or the vulnerable. Receptive audiences are used to serve others’ self-interests and their need for dominance and control. AI has the capacity to shape belief patterns when deployed toward commercial or political ends, creating outside-imposed patterns, scripting, and planning that drive actions and adverse behaviors. AI writes scripts based on prompts or inputs from a developer or engineer, and in turn searches large repositories of information (LLMs, or large language models) to construct responses to requests derived from the vast store of collected data. Common uses include asking for specific information, finding established patterns to create anything from an image to an article, grammar-checking a document, answering questions on a specific topic or research, or suggesting direction or action depending on how the inquiry is phrased. In advanced AI applications, bots can function as “AI agents,” personal digital assistants that can use software applications, websites, and other online tools, such as spreadsheets, calendars, and email services. They can both chat and perform tasks. These AI agents are powered by “neural networks,” mathematical systems that learn by analyzing digital data. By detecting patterns in enormous volumes of text gathered from across the internet, these systems can generate text independently—producing outputs ranging from emails and academic papers to computer programs. See my full article on my Mind Wise blog with references and citations. Many aspects of AI are making life and work more efficient and easier, especially by expanding our use of ever-growing stores of accumulated knowledge. There is reason to hope that the advances and proliferation of AI across all aspects of our lives will continue to be beneficial. The fear is intensified by daily reporting of the misuse and misapplication of artificial intelligence in industry and government. Because we can fall into complacency and fall behind in our productive mental activity, AI offers a way to greatly extend the reach of our abilities and productivity—though it also carries the potential for misuse, especially in the service of large businesses’ profits and domination, and in the arena of political affairs and warfare. Historically, conflicts have ranged from individuals to tribes to worldwide wars between countries, with outcomes often depending on arsenals of weaponry and control of minds through propaganda and the spread of fear, tapping into people’s primal fear of basic survival. Can we leave the discussion with the statue of Buddha smiling at human frailty and missteps, to conclude this cautionary tale? This piece ties together a personal account of life events that brought a bit of enlightenment, but what was interesting was how it seemed to run in parallel with, or at least relate to, AI. Artificial intelligence development appears to work well as an aid and extension of our mental functioning and cognition. It clearly influences our beliefs and behavior. Perhaps the coming hurricane-like storm and disruption, with raging rivers and floodwater, is what AI has the potential to be, but will it be like the river’s return to a peaceful flow, with natural order rebalancing and a return to harmony, beauty, and serenity? Tips and Points to Ponder * The daily flood of alarming AI headlines works much like reviewing a disturbing dream upon waking — the more we dwell on it, the more predictive and real it feels. But this is the mind catastrophizing, not the future speaking. The fears about AI remind me of the old saying: don’t throw out the baby with the bathwater. There is genuine promise in what AI can offer, alongside legitimate risks if it falls into the wrong hands or goes unregulated. The Taoist and Stoic wisdom of non-attachment — accepting that things change and that our expectations are, at best, approximations — applies here as well. Stepping out of the bubble of thought that traps us in projected futures requires the attention needed to function, protect ourselves, and adapt to life as it actually unfolds. * Remaining alert and informed enables discerning choices about what to embrace and what to avoid. As AI capabilities expand, remarkable applications become possible—but legitimate concerns persist about unregulated deployment by those seeking profit, power, or control. * Recently I tested this personally: I asked both a real estate agent and an advanced AI model about market trends for my property. Both provided realistic timing and pricing estimates. Having baseline knowledge helped me distinguish the accurate AI response from potential hallucinations. The lesson: AI works best when guided by informed judgment—not when used blindly. * The advances are genuinely helpful for those who know how to apply them. Yet the biggest paradox—for people like me—is that AI-assisted planning actually reinforces the very mental habits it could liberate me from. Contriving stronger schemas and projections distances me from what will actually unfold, making me less mindful of the present moment and more tense about controlling what is ultimately unpredictable. Ironically, using AI to plan may deepen attachment to the illusion of control. * An old Zen parable tells of a master who was repeatedly asked by his students whether each new event was good or bad fate, or what he should expect next. His reply: “We will see.” This echoes the sentiment of “Que sera sera”—the future is not for us to see. That doesn’t mean we should stop growing, learning, or planning. But it does mean holding our predictions lightly. Even advanced AI offers only approximations; the future remains unknowable by our limited capacity. I appreciate your interest. Please share this with others. With appreciation to Shan Parks for editorial guidance and project management. All content is created and published solely for educational purposes. It is not a substitute for professional medical services or guidance. Always consult a healthcare provider for care related to medical or mental health conditions. This article does not provide medical diagnoses, recommendations, treatment, or endorsements. Please read the full article with references and citations on my Mind Wise blog: WWW.inmindwise (http://WWW.inmindwise).com For inquiries, visit parksmd.com/scheduling (http://parksmd.com/scheduling) Thank you for listening and reading. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.inmindwise.com (https://www.inmindwise.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)

3. 

   23 Jul 2026

   Audio Podcast - Don't Push the River: On Losing and Finding Perspective**

   Don’t Push the River: On Losing and Finding Perspective Dr. Ron Parks explores a universal struggle: how we over-plan, over-control, and lose ourselves in mental architectures of our own making. Drawing from a vivid dream, Daoist philosophy, Gestalt therapy pioneer Barry Stevens, and a personal experience surviving Hurricane Helene in Asheville, he weaves together several threads: The core insight: Plans and projects start with genuine purpose, but we tend to pile on layers of secondary concerns — deadlines nobody asked us to set, perfectionist details, emotional investments in completion for its own sake — until the original purpose is buried and we’re exhausted by the weight of our own construction. The dream as mirror: Dr. Parks dreamed of building a robotic arm that was nearly finished and functional, only to become paralyzed by peripheral details — naming it, choosing a color, saving it in the right format. He realized the dream reflected his waking life perfectly: getting lost in minutiae until the bigger picture disappears. Two awakenings: A friend’s concerned phone call served as his waking-life interruption, much like dawn breaks a frustrating dream. Both carried the same quiet message: you’ve drifted somewhere without realizing it — reconnect. The river metaphor: Borrowed from Barry Stevens’ 1970 book, “Don’t push the river — it flows by itself.” You can float in it, walk alongside it, or exhaust yourself trying to force its flow. The invitation is to hold plans loosely, stay present, and adapt to what actually unfolds rather than insisting reality match your blueprint. The Daoist thread: Wu Wei — effortless action — isn’t passivity. It’s staying responsive to what’s happening rather than clinging to what you assumed would happen. Adaptability is intelligence in action. The lived reality: Dr. Parks ties the metaphor to the devastating 2024 hurricane that flooded the Swannanoa River near his Asheville home. The river reclaimed its floodplain; one person who went back for belongings was lost, while those who moved to higher ground survived. Nature doesn’t negotiate — it adapts, and so must we. The bottom line for listeners: Completing the project isn’t the goal. The true mission is to stay aware of the larger reality beyond our mental clutter, loosen the grip of over-control, simplify, and remain open to change with adaptability and acceptance. The hand that grasps must stay open enough to receive. ** The voiceover for this podcast was generated by Speechify using the Alex GB voice. Speechify converts written content into natural-sounding audio. The program has been very popular among people who consume academic and business content, as well as among individuals with dyslexia and ADHD seeking better reading alternatives. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.inmindwise.com (https://www.inmindwise.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)

Podcast Authority Score: 19 / 100

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YouTube

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Engagement

27