For most of my life, I must admit, I never quite understood what were the “Humanities.” Whenever I encountered the term, visions of Plato and Aristotle debating at the edge of a flat earth, clad in formal togas and strappy sandals, flooded my mind’s eye. They're actually the reason the word pontificate found its way into my vocabulary.

The notion of a "classical" education always struck me as elitist and detached from the pressing concerns of my world. As a young Black-American man from the West Side of Chicago, where avoiding windows on New Year's Eve was a survival tactic against stray bullets, these ideals and debates seemed the equivalent to nails on a chalkboard.

As I learned about and applied to become a part of this enthralling community of the Leadership in Technology (LIT) program, meeting the other fellows, connecting with them over life experiences, reading assignments and even professional connections have spurred me on both in the program and as I, and my clients face challenging technological and economic concerns.

Through engaging with the Leadership In Technology Cohort and the lively discussions on life, death, and the mundane challenges of life. I’ve never felt more connected and alive. I believe my involvement has not only nurtured a clearer image of the humanities and their value in today’s technological society. Further, I think I now have a foundation to guide and shape my conversations on how technology can best serve humanity.

This revelation was a genuine surprise, prompting me to reconsider my stance on the connective sinews that are the building blocks of understanding humans.

Despite my mother's assertion that we lived on a "Lily in a Cesspool" – a safe spot in an otherwise dangerous area – and despite my parents' sacrifices to send me to a private Catholic school in Oak Park, Illinois, where I navigated my identity as the sole Black-American male, these classical ideals felt alien to my lived experience.

From my vantage point, The humanities were, frankly put, irrelevant.  A stale, disconnected collection of rhetoric and, yes, pontification from a bygone era, offering little wisdom or relevance to my life. My perspective shifted when I delved into the etymology of "cyber" in cybersecurity, uncovering its roots in κυβερνητικός (kubernētikós, "skilled in steering or governing") from ancient Greek. This exploration led me to Plato's use of cybernetics in Alcibiades to describe self-governance and to André-Marie Ampère's application of 'cybernétique' in 1834 within the sciences of government. This revelation was a genuine surprise, prompting me to reconsider my stance on the connective sinews that are the building blocks of understanding humans.

This journey into the origins of “cybernetics” revealed to me that the humanities are not merely about ancient texts; they also embody the essence of what it means to be human. A singular example is the phraseerrare humanum est, "to err is human." This phrase, often attributed to Seneca the Younger or Pope Alexander, captures the humanities' focus on the human condition and our collective endeavors in philosophy, arts, and languages to navigate life's existential questions.

Through engaging with the Virginia Tech Institute for Leadership in Technology, I realized that despite not having read the Iliad or Odyssey or being able to quote philosophers, the humanities provided a lens through which we can understand humanity itself.

In grappling with contemporary issues such as AI, leadership, global warming, and economic stability in conversation with other fellows of the institute, I've come to appreciate that the humanities offer a clear window into our humanity. They remind us that it's okay to engage in philosophical musings, to learn from others' perspectives, and to navigate our destinies with intention.

As much as I had intended to write about more technical subjects like Transhumanism, Technohumanism, or AI-Human Interaction, I've found value in pausing to reflect on the importance of steering our own lives. The questions we pose about the humanities' relevance, whether in achievements or failures, are part of a narrative that shapes our daily actions.

A millennium from now, scholars will study our time through holographic AI reenactments of our social media posts to capture the state of humanity and how we communicate and treat each other.

This futuristic scenario opens a window to the soul of humanity, captured through our online discourses, showcasing how our digital expressions and connections form the cornerstone of our collective human experience—linking future generations directly with our present-day musings, struggles, and triumphs.

It serves as a testament to the fact that at the heart of our technological advancements, the humanities remain the most human-centered discipline, emphasizing the enduring nature of human curiosity and empathy.

As we ponder this future, we realize that the true measure of our civilization may well be the depth of understanding and connection that we foster today, immortalized for future generations to appreciate and learn from.