“Fake realities will create fake humans. Or, fake humans will generate fake realities and then sell them to other humans, turning them, eventually, into forgeries of themselves. So we wind up with fake humans inventing fake realities and then peddling them to other fake humans.”
Philip K. Dick
After my last blog post I was contacted by a fellow blogger with the suggestion if I hadn’t already, to read Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. I haven’t been able to track down a paper copy of the book yet but I was able to watch an old movie version.
What struck me by the time the movie ended, was the means by which something is achieved and it doesn’t matter so much if the end result is the same. Both dystopian futures are vastly different in the construction yet the end result is basically the same.
Just one example of this is, Orwell’s future is one of control where books are banned compared to Huxley’s future where books are freely available yet no one has any interest in them. The end result in both these societies is no one is reading books and all the entails.
Looking at the world we have constructed as we head into a new year I think this is an important point to consider.
As a unique individual among the billions currently alive, considering our connectedness, what impact are you having?
If you are concerned about how many stories reported in the media focus on us at our worst, you have the power to change this. What percentage of what you share online highlights us at our best versus us at out worst?
How are you allowing what you consume dictate how you view our world. As I mentioned in my last post I’ve not installed Facebook or Messenger on my current phone. Yes I still use them on my computer but I’m no longer connected to them as much as I’ve previously been. The extra feeling of being relaxed and at ease and my decreased level of the knowledge of the atrocities happening around the globe can’t be a coincidence.
An alternative
No I’m not ignoring that there are problems in the world but I can be more effective in helping others if my mindset is one that sees this world as a beautiful place filled of hope, rather than one of this planet is doomed because I’m being constantly reminded of just how many have lost the plot.
If you are concerned about our rate of suicide then stop relying on social media and actually take the time to catch up with friends in person. Call them on the phone or shock the postal service and buy a stamp and send someone a letter or card in the mail. Sharing photos on line might be convenient but what could happen if you printed them off and took them around to a friend’s place to share and spend the afternoon with them.
Maybe, rather than just getting a like or a one line comment from them, you’d discover as you spent hours catching up just how much they were struggling. Maybe behind their public exterior they’d let you see their vulnerable private life as they open up because you are actually there showing you care.
If you are concerned about the level of violence constantly being reported in the news I’d challenge you to do two things. First check anything you read, hear, or see. In so many ways we live in a safer world than we have historically. Don’t believe me, do what I just said, hold me accountable and look it up.
Secondly, how much do you value yourself? If we saw ourselves as we were created to be I would have no need to write this blog post. If we loved and respected our own existence as much as we were designed to, then we would have so much more empathy for everyone else.
If you are concerned about our impact on the planet, do you switch everything off at the power point or leave things on standby. When was the last time you drove somewhere you could have walked or ridden a bike? How often did you turn the heater on or up during winter when an extra layer of clothing could have warmed you. How cool do you really need your home this summer? How soon do you really need to upgrade your phone?
Yes, you can
When the next recession hits you’ll quickly discover that maybe you can survive with less TV channels, books at the library are free to borrow after all. You’ll discover that taking lunch to work fuels your body just as good if not better than what you’ve been buying. You’ll discover the power of communities helping each other through tough times and the lifelong bonds that form.
I’m looking forward to what the future holds and I will no longer let the media dictate my perspective on life. My best years are ahead of me regardless of what is happening locally or globally. Those I come into contact with are going to either get used to getting encouraged by me or they’ll distance themselves from me. I am too full of love, joy and peace for it not to overflow, so if you don’t want these wonderful things in your life in 2019 stop reading now.
If this conversation doesn’t resonate with you, spend some of your holidays reading, watching, or listening to the works of Huxley and Orwell and compare them to where we are today. When you realise just how close they were in predicting where we would be in the future you have a choice.
Give up
or
Be the change.
Neville Hiatt never to be content with just one project currently runs two blogs. One which caters to the right brain side of his personality covers his desire to Inspire, Create, Motivate, Educate through his photography, poetry and short stories at http://nevillehiatt.com His left brain blog http://altcoincollege.com/ was started shortly after someone told him about Bitcoin. Not wanting anyone else to say years later if only someone told me sooner.
Neville Hiatt was the 2020 Press Services International Tronson Senior Writers Award Winner for Australia. His previous posts for can be read here.
He spent a decade working for Radio Stations before his career was intermissioned by someone in a hurry to get home from work. For more of his award winning creativity visit http://nevillehiatt.com.
He also blogs for http://altcoincollege.com/covering the way cryptocurrencies and blockchain are changing our world.