I agree, but counterculture is not enough once it really takes off. It's like the commons. Once upon a time people just grew food, and harvested it, and agreed that if you live someplace, then that's where you live and there's plenty of room for everyone.

Then a bunch of mercenaries showed up, and suddenly everyone pays rent. There's no parcel of land in the world where you can exist for free. It's like a dominion. Because the mercenaries were rewarded power and influence and resources at a rate that permitted them to build empires.

And suddenly you got conquistadors in Mexico, and the British Raj in India.

Because people are born into this dominion, they're not making any meaningful choice, it's just there, and that's it. People can reconnect because it is within their frame of reference, but what happens when studying is automated? Or speech? Or even thoughts?

I think automation on an interfacing level is one thing, it's like you said, you're an engineer, that's a job. In fact it's a very good job because it creates a condition in which it teaches people engineering. What I mean is, suppose there are no jobs, suppose we go into this depth of automation?

We try to pursue some kind of essence through automation, and slowly strip away parts of life we don't like. But I don't think we'll find that life is essential, it needs every component.