More Than He Knows

Dear Friend,

“More than you know.”

I said those words just two weeks ago to a friend who made me give him a call. The short version of the story is that I really needed to talk to him for a couple of hours. He encouraged me, kicked me in the butt, laughed with me, and scolded me for not calling earlier.

I told him I needed the chat and appreciated him, “more than you know.”

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is causing us to consider what it means to be human. Machines are closing in on our ability to process vast amounts of information and it is causing quite a stir. The most newsworthy this week (at least on this Wednesday) is the testimony of OpenAI CEO Sam Altman to the United States Senate.

Humans are being forced to consider what it means to be human outside of knowing more than any other form of life or technology on planet Earth. We are (dangerously) creating an alien form of knowledge that can influence, manipulate, and even control aspects of human life. But that’s for another day…

Here is a lesson for us and our friendships: The value of your friend is more than what he knows.

Our friends know all kinds of information.

• Sports statistics

• Construction and maintenance tips and tricks

• How to lead a successful business

• The best bars in town

• Lines from movies and song lyrics

What makes a guy your friend is not just what he knows about you and your heart, but how he honors you because he knows your heart.

So remember your friend is more than a collector and processer of information. You hold pieces of not information but of his soul.

Treat him well, because anything else is artificial.