When computer programs and algorithms mimic the human ability to think, they are said to be using artificial intelligence. The 'intelligence' part of the phrase refers to the ability to build knowledge derived from acquired data. The 'artificial' part refers to the machine that is using that intelligence, usually a computer or, increasingly, a series of computers that can communicate with one another over the internet. The idea is that artificial intelligence will be able to replicate or at least offer something similar to human thought processes in the near future.
Like any chronic condition, chronic pain is something that has been around for some time. This means that it is not a passing problem, such as a one-off headache. Nor is it something that comes and goes - like migraines, for example – although its level of intensity may alter as time passes. Generally speaking, doctors consider constant pain that has not gone away for something like three to six months to be chronic. That said, some specialists believe that pain must have been endured for around a year to be truly chronic. There are many causes of chronic pain. In some cases, it may come about directly from another condition which is, itself, causing pain. In other cases, it may be that the brain is malfunctioning in some way to make people feel pain when there appears to be no cause. A typical form of chronic pain comes from spinal problems, usually because the nervous system in the spinal cord is sending pain signals to the brain. People with heart disease and certain respiratory conditions are more likely to suffer from this type of pain than the general population.
Ram Dass – sometimes known as Baba Ram Dass – was an American-born exponent of Eastern spirituality and yoga in the West. He was also a qualified psychoanalyst and author. He was perhaps best-known as a spiritual teacher who did a great deal to bring many aspects of Hinduism to a wider audience in the post-war generation of Americans. Ram Dass travelled to India in the late 1960s where he became a disciple of Neem Karoli Baba, a Hindu guru. It was him who gave Ram Dass his new name which translates into English as 'Servant of God'. Following a stroke in the 1990s, the spiritual teacher was left with some paralysis, but he learned to speak again and took up travelling once more until he became ill again after a trip to India in 2004. He died in Hawaii in December 2019.
