"I have no faith in human perfectability. I think that human exertion will have no appreciable effect upon humanity. Man is now only more active - not more happy - nor more wise, than he was 6000 years ago." - Edgar Allan Poe
In 1999, Wachowski brother's movie "The Matrix" depicted a dark future for mankind, where freedom was replaced by the mere illusion of it, and ignorance of reality was the ultimate food for an artificial form of existence, and even happiness.
The Matrix would become both an instant success and a cult classic, but the kind of dystopia it illustrates is far from original. From Aldous Huxley's Brave New World to Blade Runner (based on Phillip K. Dick's novel "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?"), visions of a darker future, often weaved by humanity itself, seem common.
All science fiction.
Well... yes. But. There may be a common ground if we take time to look at modern times in western culture and developed countries in general.
Modern living is a product of evolution, and of an insatiable search for more. More comfort, more safety, more happiness. More of everything that seems convenient.
Exactly how free is today's freedom? Are we not unconsciously strung to at least some modern principles of living, social rules, and a supposed "way" of life? We clearly are, but even if this sounds too "new age" for you, bear with me and read along.
How do we relate with the environment that surrounds us?
It is no longer a secret nor is it questionable, that the impact we have on the planet is negative and often irreversible (ie. species led to extinction by human action).
In a very short period of time, man has adopted a very aggressive stance towards it’s own cradle and home, causing far more harmful impact in less than 100 years, than in the remaining history of mankind put together, and an impact whose damage is gradually reversed towards humanity itself.
And although all of this is transparent and known today, the most we, as a civilization, can do, is to shyly slow this process with pale actions and measures, for trying to put a stop to it would bring tremendous “costs” that we ourselves determined. Such as a nation’s economy (a human devised, relative, mechanism, nothing more), which is naturally above such matters.
Sustainable agriculture and fishing are known and possible, alternative and renewable energy sources are all around us and motor vehicles that reduce polluting discharges by up to 70% are a reality. But all these are still scarcely used, as they pose a “cost”.
And what can we, as individuals, do? Well, you can recycle, you can use public transports, and you can do whatever you are suggested to do, to try and minimize your share of that negative impact on the planet.
But can you really and altogether refrain from taking part in the process?
Not at all. You are quite simply not given that choice, for you become a part of that process, and it, a part of your human condition and reality, since the day you are born. You are insistently taught all sorts of things, small pieces of the process, every day, and your teachers are all around you.
They tell you what is beautiful, and what is not. They tell you what is moral and what is wrong. They tell you that you should study and learn all sorts of necessary things to one day have a nice job and make money, and have things that can supposedly bring you feelings of accomplishment, fun, relaxation, happiness.
They tell you that you can’t really walk through you life, but instead step into the vehicle where everyone is, and let the rails decide the rest.
We are surrounded by a way of living, and regardless of its consequences, the massive momentum of our evolution as a civilization, is unstoppable. Just like an avalanche that can’t be held suddenly to a stop, only be gradually soothed and calmed throughout its path.
We became entangled in our own web, our own form of matrix, created by everyone else and by ourselves. And in it, we can never be truly free.
(Note: To address such vast concerns such as ecology and the planet is naturally far beyond the scope of this post, and they are mentioned here to illustrate how distanced and powerless we all are towards a reality, that we all learn to accept while growing and living.)
Galileo, whom I quoted in the beginning of this document, lived in an age where tolerance for an individuals thinking was virtually non-existing, and he was eventually a victim of the Catholic Church, spending the last years of his life under house arrest on orders of the Inquisition. He was a right among many wrongs.
In fact, it is surprising how little we question our ways today, given that we look back to our past and more often than not, find our ways back then ignorant, fanatical, inhuman or ridicule.
But I guess we were as sure of ourselves then, as we are now.
The Matrix would become both an instant success and a cult classic, but the kind of dystopia it illustrates is far from original. From Aldous Huxley's Brave New World to Blade Runner (based on Phillip K. Dick's novel "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?"), visions of a darker future, often weaved by humanity itself, seem common.
All science fiction.
Well... yes. But. There may be a common ground if we take time to look at modern times in western culture and developed countries in general.
Modern living is a product of evolution, and of an insatiable search for more. More comfort, more safety, more happiness. More of everything that seems convenient.
Exactly how free is today's freedom? Are we not unconsciously strung to at least some modern principles of living, social rules, and a supposed "way" of life? We clearly are, but even if this sounds too "new age" for you, bear with me and read along.
How do we relate with the environment that surrounds us?
It is no longer a secret nor is it questionable, that the impact we have on the planet is negative and often irreversible (ie. species led to extinction by human action).
In a very short period of time, man has adopted a very aggressive stance towards it’s own cradle and home, causing far more harmful impact in less than 100 years, than in the remaining history of mankind put together, and an impact whose damage is gradually reversed towards humanity itself.
And although all of this is transparent and known today, the most we, as a civilization, can do, is to shyly slow this process with pale actions and measures, for trying to put a stop to it would bring tremendous “costs” that we ourselves determined. Such as a nation’s economy (a human devised, relative, mechanism, nothing more), which is naturally above such matters.
Sustainable agriculture and fishing are known and possible, alternative and renewable energy sources are all around us and motor vehicles that reduce polluting discharges by up to 70% are a reality. But all these are still scarcely used, as they pose a “cost”.
And what can we, as individuals, do? Well, you can recycle, you can use public transports, and you can do whatever you are suggested to do, to try and minimize your share of that negative impact on the planet.
But can you really and altogether refrain from taking part in the process?
Not at all. You are quite simply not given that choice, for you become a part of that process, and it, a part of your human condition and reality, since the day you are born. You are insistently taught all sorts of things, small pieces of the process, every day, and your teachers are all around you.
They tell you what is beautiful, and what is not. They tell you what is moral and what is wrong. They tell you that you should study and learn all sorts of necessary things to one day have a nice job and make money, and have things that can supposedly bring you feelings of accomplishment, fun, relaxation, happiness.
They tell you that you can’t really walk through you life, but instead step into the vehicle where everyone is, and let the rails decide the rest.
We are surrounded by a way of living, and regardless of its consequences, the massive momentum of our evolution as a civilization, is unstoppable. Just like an avalanche that can’t be held suddenly to a stop, only be gradually soothed and calmed throughout its path.
We became entangled in our own web, our own form of matrix, created by everyone else and by ourselves. And in it, we can never be truly free.
(Note: To address such vast concerns such as ecology and the planet is naturally far beyond the scope of this post, and they are mentioned here to illustrate how distanced and powerless we all are towards a reality, that we all learn to accept while growing and living.)
Galileo, whom I quoted in the beginning of this document, lived in an age where tolerance for an individuals thinking was virtually non-existing, and he was eventually a victim of the Catholic Church, spending the last years of his life under house arrest on orders of the Inquisition. He was a right among many wrongs.
In fact, it is surprising how little we question our ways today, given that we look back to our past and more often than not, find our ways back then ignorant, fanatical, inhuman or ridicule.
But I guess we were as sure of ourselves then, as we are now.
n
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