Human reasoning operates as an unmatched force in the world. Because of this evolutionary trait, we have dominated the planet, effectively building power structures of governmental proportion to preserve and pass on our genetic data. Our species thrives because we learn, improve, and then learn more.
The online community represents a potentially hyperconscious form of human ingenuity, and this creative potential can be harnessed by either the elite or by the people. Though the possibility for such metamorphosis exists, real change has yet to occur either online or in real life. The elite already use cyberspace to restrict freedom, and this cannot be endured. However, the majority can band together and initiate authentic revolution, protecting our collective autonomy through protest and civil disobedience.
We must defend the inherent freedom actualized by the Internet because our innate intelligence and drive cannot reliably operate without valid information. Large corporations have a monopoly on conventional media, so most Americans encounter ideological slant everywhere. From television commercials and the nightly news to the plethora of web advertisements bombarding us, almost every experience appeals to emotion. Such tactics create consumers, not citizens. The people have a civic duty to graduate from consumerism and enter genuine citizenship.
Since the current system undermines informed consent, revolt becomes necessary to produce true change. Though the human psyche continues to learn and evolve, advertisers, economists, and politicians alike strive to dominate by manufacturing consent. The powerful continually refine control tactics precisely because we keep asking questions. The cycle continues, and the results cause fluctuations between war and peace, hatred and love. We can redirect this cycle because human inventiveness carries more value than currency ever can.
Because the elite will perpetuate lies and misdirection to maintain the current power structure, the people must bring about a revolution. Global problems stem directly from an apathetic, consumption-driven mindset that reacts to conflicts and misunderstandings emotionally but refrains from useful action. We must refocus our energies into creating objective modes of perception, disconnecting emotive responses from political discourse. Even as a partial accomplishment, this would allow us to move further into the Technological Age relatively baggage-free. Excising emotional response in lieu of logical deliberation frees the mind to probe issues impartially. Consequently, we will be prepared to capably make reasoned decisions.
This uprising cannot be halted by corporate or political deceits because our revolt is born from the desire for lasting independence. Though corporations and advertising agencies fabricate false solutions to our deepest desire, they fail to sate the hardwired, physiological drive to obtain autonomy. All humans, having experienced domination, desire release from that controlling force. Experts believe that new devices and smooth-talking politicians can misdirect our hunger, but ultimate disappointment awaits their delusion. Of all desires in the human heart, true freedom remains most dear, and all attempts at psychological redirection will eventually fail.
The elite’s failure to distract our attention will only fuel the revolution. As we concentrate on the global problems of injustice, illiteracy, famine, and a thousand other wrongs, countless human minds must work in concert to avert disaster. Bureaucracy struggles to maintain barriers and laws that restrict creative power, and this is unacceptable.
The bureaucrats control and legislate intellectual property. Both copyright laws and patents daily prevent researchers from exploring possible cures to diseases. Food rots in corporate trash bins because bylaws prohibit its use to feed the hungry, and though we have the means to feed the global population, our leaders choose instead to line their pockets. Administration and corruption continue to destabilize nations, and these practices will not be tolerated. As the people unite, we will ignore the accepted policies and regulations. We will transform the system and rewrite the rules.
Our rules require consumers to become informed, active, responsible citizens. We champion open, logical communication and free access to information. Because education and dialogue operate as key components of such an endeavor, both will be free and equally available to all via the Internet and social media. Our collective intellectual properties will be dedicated to the future and passed onto the next generation without debt or restriction. Our broken, decaying system will no longer control ideas, creations, and inventions because we will remake this world to suit the needs of all.
Our revolution comes from the collective mind of humankind, and we undertake this revolution to ensure species survival. We will perpetuate the dream of freedom until the system can no longer contain us. Because we are children of intellect, we will always outsmart you. Because we are united, we will stand against what will come. You can detain, harass, and destroy individuals, but you can never halt us all. We are the nameless masses. We are the people you subdue, and you need us to preserve your system. We are your greatest weakness. We are the represented, and this is our manifesto.
This is the light at the end of America’s dark deep tunnel. We need to move toward this, not away. We need to embrace the Information Age just as we embraced becoming a world economy. It took millions of years to go from a vast undiscovered land and sea to now being able to find answers to some of life’s most difficult questions. With four things, we can all be empowered: one, a computer; two, the Internet; three, a search engine; four, and most importantly, a person who is willing to change, learn, and improve. Our country is on the brink of economic disaster, but there is hope that the Information Age will make us stronger than ever.
There are many beautiful ideas here, and I feel this sort of a movement is already growing organically. However, I must play the Devil’s Advocate. Given the history of populism, how do we avoid an Internet elite arising to replace the current power structure and continuing the enslavement of people’s minds and hearts? Conversely, how do we avoid that shallow justice that equates sameness with democracy and insists on tearing down those of exceptional ability? I completely support your sentiment, but I cannot call this my manifesto quite yet.
That is one helluva piece of writing, Locke. You say, “Of all desires in the human heart, true freedom remains most dear, and all attempts at psychological redirection will eventually fail.” I hope you’re right. Just let me know where to sign up for La Revolución!
Let freedom reign, let freedom reign. We will be free at last!
>Human reasoning operates as an unmatched force in the world. Because of this evolutionary trait, we have dominated the planet,
Ehe common humans don’t dominate this world. they are in essence slaves. Most don’t know their slaves.
Earth has been dominated by some human hybrids and whatever alien species is above them. The true power structure is hidden. Humans have been enslaved for tens or hundreds of thousands of years.
You ever wonder how the sumerians were able to make technological gains in such a short time.
Atlantis was the last technologically advanced civilization before this one. Atlantis was located around the south china sea.
So called extraterrestrials have had a major presence for eons. they have been here longer than common humans.
It has been said that there have been 5 major version of humans on earth. There have been Neaderthal, Giants (8 to 12 ft tall) and countless other who were likely exterminated, wiped out by catastrophe’s or maybe left the planet at some point.
The first human had a life expectancy of a thousand years along with fully active psychic ability.
Every human version from then on was genetically degenerated which included loss of powerful psychic abilities.
if common humans try to dominate, they would be exterminated by elites. Just like raising cattle, the elites would grow a new batch of slaves
They probably will genetically degenerate the human body even more.
Most people are in a coma when it comes to the outer world. They either don’t want to know, don’t care to know or don’t care.
p.s.
I guess I’ll incarnate back as a carrot but please don’t eat me
I am of the opinion that a small group of intelligent, driven humans work to dominate a large majority of Earth’s population, not a secret, extraterrestrial cabal.
Given all the anecdotal reports, there is no doubt about UFOs with so called extraterrestrial life. There are definitely many UFO bases around this planet like under the sea, land etc. So there is some relationship between the power structure and these beings. If they didn’t have a relationship, knowledge of these beings would be common knowledge.
People say if an ET existed, they would land on the White House lawn. No.
Earth humans have been quarantined from extraterrestrial knowledge thru some agreement for a long time. There is some agreement behind the scenes between the aliens and powers that be to keep this knowledge unofficial. Whatever so called visitation or contact takes place in the future will be choreographed ahead of time.
Maybe there is a galactic federation. All these ETs who reside on this planet are part of that. These ETs are definitely militaristic variety.
I do think the cabal that settled on Earth was previously on Mars also before it’s surface got wiped out. Mars will eventually recover it’s water but unless they use some advanced technology to hasten it, it will take a very long time.
They could be human but a much more advanced human and one that has a much longer life span and probably high level intellectual and psychic abilities. Not like the common human. They are definitely a very advanced and sophisticated military. They are militaristic in their demeanor. To truly rule for such a long time and with such sophistication really requires a major edge. The management that fronts for them are very violent sociopaths who think nothing of exterminating humans.
I do think the current power structure has some connections with the rulers in atlantis.
The general official history of the 20th century is definitely a massive lie. The chances that the rest of official history is a lie is 100%.
Immanuel Velikovsky is someone you should read.
Prioris, Captain Nemo is fighting the Atlanteans AND the aliens in humanities name. It’s true. Look it up.
I forget, is it the Greys who are dominant and in cahoots with the government, or the Lizardmen?
i don’t know. there is too much disinformation. the tall greys and militaristic et like human like tall whites etc would be candidates.
there could have been competing ETs in the far distant past.
even if you found the tall greys running this world, you could never be sure there is someone above them and that the greys only fronting and manage some things.
the real power directing things may be on another world. the ones here may just take orders.
the real power structures are hidden in this world and that they are very advanced.
When did you kill the witch that imprisoned you as a slave in a house full of candy, after your parents abandoned you in the woods, and the animals ate your bread crumb trail?
Your mind is imprisoned in the matrix and enclosed in a small box.
I wish I could believe that we are all “children of intellect” in any sense of the phrase, but I am afraid I cannot.
Why not? The literal translation of Homo sapiens is “we who think.” Virtually all human beings, with the unfortunate exception of those born severely disabled, have the capacity for high-order rational thought. Maintaining that the world’s problems are caused by “stupid people” (with yourself of course being a part of the intelligent minority) is simply untrue, in addition to being one more way of dividing and dehumanizing people instead of uniting them. I affirm that we are children of intellect, that education is the surest path to prosperity for anyone anywhere in the world, and that if we learn and teach people to communicate rationally we will be able to come together to solve the world’s problems.
First, Dionysus, that is not the literal translation of Homo sapiens, but of greater importance, to affirm that “we are children of intellect” does not make this so. The opposite holds true given historical evidence. The average person has more in common with a chimpanzee than with someone like Galileo or Goethe.
First, I think you’re confused on the definition of the word “literal.” Homo is latin for “same.” Sapiens is latin for “thinking.” Homo sapiens, word for word, means “same thinkers.” In the context in which it’s used, the same morphs into “same as us” or, more succinctly, “we.” Thus, “we thinkers” or “thinkers same as us.”
Second, I would be interested in seeing this historical evidence of which you speak. I have never met anyone even close to the cognitive capacity of a chimpanzee. A fellow student in my elementary school had Downs syndrome, and he was one of the nicest people I ever met. He was able to play games with us, understand the teacher, and communicate his feelings and desires. Everyone else I have known has had speaking capabilities to various degrees, most if not all were able to do basic arithmetic, and many were well adept at both math and communication.
On a broader level, human society shows a consistent trend towards less violent systems of law and governance and greater comfort and opportunity for common people. We do not see this trend because we also are far more aware of the atrocities that still occur. Democratic rule with full enfranchisement is a 20th century innovation, one that is still in the process of being adopted by many parts of the world. The notion of fundamental rights is a relatively recent development, and practices such as ritual slaughter and mass genocide have become the exception rather than the rule.
Once again, I ask why you place yourself among Galileo and Goethe, rather than in this “chimpanzee” category, what it is about you that puts you above most of humanity other than an accident of birth and parentage. As I see it, all humans are capable of being knowledgeable and ethical when given the opportunity.
“Homo” means “man” in Latin in the most conventional sense. “Sapiens” can mean “wise,” “rational,” or “thinking.” It is difficult to speak to you when you do not understand basic translations. Even with your error, you torture your own language to force it to fit your inaccurate understanding of words.
Your second point is also convoluted and demonstrative of one who misunderstands basic talking points. Most primates are motivated by food, sex, sleep, anger, and so on. How they spend their spare time beyond the survival phase defines them. Most do not pursue ideas as Galileo did. This makes them more like chimps than Galileo.
Your next argument is your weakest. The 20th century killed more people than all other centuries combined. Hegelian determinism does not correspond to reality. I am not even sure how to respond to the following: “The notion of fundamental rights is a relatively recent development.” You will need to clarify this in order to avoid sounding culturally illiterate.
Finally, you are the one who placed me with Galileo and Goethe, and I thank you for this. However, I never claimed this. I simply made some observations that deserved attention. Please consider this–you insult prioris and accuse him of being a troll. I would argue that your behavior is far more troll-like, and prioris’s claims are more grounded in reality than are yours.
Actually, Warren, “homo” does mean same, not “man.” Ever heard the word “homogenous?” It means “same breed,” not “man breed.” You, not Dionysus, are the one torturing the language.
Furthermore, you talk about primates as if we are exactly the same as the others in our broad family tree. Chimps, to use your example. are entirely focused on survival. Humans, on the other hand, are not. Thus humans have more “free time” to pursue other interests, such as science, philosophy, and academics. This sets us apart from even our closest relatives.
In addition, you assume that most people do not pursue ideas in their free time. I would love to see the proof of this. As we live in a modern society, where our basic needs are easily met (relatively), intellectual pursuits become more professional matters, rather than simply hobbies. For example, Steven Hawking is a leading mind in theoretical physics, but that is his job, not necessarily what he does in his free time. The same is true of Galileo, as he devoted his life to unraveling the mysteries of the the universe.
Third, your view of history seems a little skewed. The concept of fundamental rights is a very new idea. Keep in mind that until the 20th century, women and blacks could not vote, and had very limited rights. Also, while this century is perhaps the most violent, less violence is being perpetrated by governments against their own subjects. Compare that to England of the 19th century, especially in Africa and India. Or America prior the abolition of slavery. Oh, and what about Gothic Europe? Even the United States was under the thumb of the British for nearly 200 years before the American Revolution. The French were no better, which ultimately led to the French Revolution. There is definitely a trend toward less violent governmental systems. Look at China, whose government, while still Communist and totalitarian, is beginning to show cracks, which will eventually lead to a free-people’s government. One merely has to open a history book to see these changes occurring.
Lastly, regarding Prioris: his ideas are grounded in conspiracy and loosely arranged “facts.” Dionysus, on the other hand, has made logical, well thought-out claims. It is truly sad that you relate more to an irrational, illogical conspiracy monger than another intellectual.
When referring to the “elite,” are you referring to the top 1% of this nation that controls 35% of the nation’s wealth, or is the “elite” those that recognize the monopoly giant corporations have on nearly aspect of our lives, including the media, and actively seek out other points-of-view based on their knowledge of this monopoly? Those that accept as unbiased fact what the media (including the net) may indeed separate consumers from citizens in the respect that information is slanted to a specific audience, but most of those that rely on just one source of information are clueless as to why they should question things and what they accept as unbiased fact.
The readily-available information so many eat up as the truth may indeed have some truth to it, but many of the uninformed do not realize this may not be the whole truth, or may contain only elements of the truth. We only have to look back two generations to draw a parallel to this distortion of presented fact and how the populous reacted. The majority of Americans had, up until that time, traditionally believed unwaveringly in government, but around the mid-1960s faith began to deteriorate after the Warren Commission published its account of the JFK assassination, and early in the next decade after Richard Nixon left the White House, so did much of the public’s trust in government.
Born of scholars, the credibility of the Internet was unquestioned in its infancy, but as it grows in popularity and further ensconces itself in our everyday lives, the Internet has morphed into what is tantamount to a wet dream for those on Madison Avenue. Marketing and advertisers have what is essentially an adolescent’s erotic dream that delivers a snapshot of our lives that provides such a complete profile of ourselves with personal information we may not even have known existed. The result has turned the Internet from an integral, intellectual source used by a privileged few to a convoluted marketplace accessible to many. This is the stranglehold corporate America has on the Internet, and the mass majority of its users unaware of, or the reason for its commercialization, and it is this percentage that revolution needs to support.
Therefore, the elite, whose riches are calculated not by money but by intellect has an obligation to step up and inform the uninformed about the benefits and shortcomings of the net, and also carry the message that it is more than a civic duty to graduate from consumer to citizen. It is the responsibility of those citizens to question everything, to differentiate between credible and contrived, worthy and unworthy, fact and fiction.
My best advice is treat the world as an onion. Peeling away one lie reveals another lie with more truth. Peeling away that lie reveals another lie with a lot more truth. You get smarter about the world as you peel away the layers. Assume virtually every source of information is tainted and you acquire a better approach to seeking out information. When you discover some very core truths, that can be used to discern what is true. The more breadth of subjects you discern lies in, the better you become discerning lies in unrelated things.
People are generally really good at spotting the little lies. Understand that when I say lie above, I mean HUMONGOUS LIES. As Hitler’s propaganda minister said, the bigger the lie, the more people will have difficulty believing it to be a lie. Those are the gold mine for truth. In seeking out the truth, you have to crawl before you can walk and run. When you can think on your own and don’t need a committee to anoint the official truth, you are starting to walk. You not only have to confront the lies from the outside, but also the lies from within yourself that your life is built on.
That is a very profound statement, advice I would give to anyone. How do you get from that to aliens? I still think you’re pulling our legs, honestly.
I definitely think your full of it, honestly
I agree with Dionysus. What do lies have to due with elitists, freedom, and ingenuity?
Great thoughts Locke! Complements why “consumer protest” a la Saul Alinsky style is no longer effective.
Thanks, Summa! I agree.
In today’s environment, Saul Alinsky’s concept of the “neighborhood” has almost completely disappeared in modern culture. His methodology for organizing community action no longer proves viable or usable. Technology has changed the human psyche and redefined our notions of community. In almost every way, I’m more emotionally tied to those who live thousands of kilometers away than to my own, albeit physically present, neighbors. Outmoded perceptions must move aside, and we must be a generation dedicated to transformation if we are to truly survive as a species.
To the future. Cheers.
I second that. My parents live halfway across the country, but because of modern communications I never actually feel that distance. I don’t even know my neighbors. This is certainly a generation radically different from our parents’.
So, a technological community revolting against an oppressive government…a modern Sons of Liberty. I can easily see revolutionaries meeting on underground websites, like 4chan but more secured, recruiting hackers to sabotage government systems. This isn’t a new idea, of course, but your article makes me think that, yes, this could actually happen. And it may. No doubt it’s happening already.
Every generation needs a new revolution – Thomas Jefferson
This is exactly why we need people who pursue genuine intelligence and wisdom throughout everyday life. Simultaneously, I do not believe that anarchy is the answer either. The governing bodies, whether it being massive conglomerates or the government itself, needs a complete renovation.
Thomas Jefferson’s quote displays a perfect point, especially for our generation and with how long it has been since our country had a revolution. The country needs to make a new system where people are allowed to make their own choices and are actually informed on the happenings rather than told what was happening. This would not be too hard with the technological changes happening within this generation.
Robert Heinlein said that (and I paraphrase) when society gets so crowded that ID cards become necessary, it is necessary for some portion of humanity to emigrate from that society. Although he was speaking about the politics of inter-stellar colonization, I believe this has been happening throughout history. Whenever a society has grown large enough or crowded enough–’reached critical mass’–some portion of its society has left, ‘headed west’, and formed their own society. perhaps what we are feeling now is simply the instinctual need to find new trails, wide-open plains, and greener hills. In Heinlein’s future, space travel allows the strongest, bravest, free-est, and best-est of humanity to emigrate, thus acting as a release valve against the otherwise-oppressive political and bureaucratic systems of Earth. Unfortunately, neither FTL travel nor suitable worlds have been discovered as of yet (please correct me if I am wrong–I will buy the first ticket!), but I have faith that, eventually, either our instinctual need for freedom will overthrow the current regime, or that some bright young lad (or lass, for that matter) with a slide rule will find a way for us to escape the oppressive political nightmare that looms. Perhaps the Internet, virtual reality, Island-building, revolution, or space travel will hold that answer–perhaps none of those things. However, I have faith that humanity can adapt and survive as it has against all previous enemies–even against his greatest adversary–himself.