Why is it that religious people always have the saying "get 'em while they're young"? It is because unless a child is indoctrinated into the faith by that time, the mind generally has a hard time accepting fantasy as fact in a world surrounded by credible evidence to the contrary. The internet has been the engine driving this resurgence of healthy skepticism. I feel as though we are on the verge of a second, world-encompassing enlightenment period in which people and ideas are becoming so interconnected that we can't help but find credible answers to solutions, where we will find common ground as a species and once and for all leave behind the bronze-age superstitions and supernatural fears of our forefathers. It is quite obvious that religious leaders sense this impending wave of rationality approaching and it's coming right into their homes without most of them even knowing it. The internet allows you to research any topic, read any book, contact just about anyone anywhere else in the world to share ideas. One doesn't have to be secluded by zealots or hidden and quarantined from the rest of the world anymore. Every young person now has the portal in their homes and even on their cell phones to be able to question religious authority and veracity if they so choose. I think of a few quotes from the Matrix movie as this type of mental freedom is coming and already starting to take effect...
The Matrix is a system, Neo. That system is our enemy. But when you're inside, you look around, what do you see? Businessmen, teachers, lawyers, carpenters. The very minds of the people we are trying to save. But until we do, these people are still a part of that system and that makes them our enemy. You have to understand, most of these people are not ready to be unplugged. And many of them are so inured, so hopelessly dependent on the system, that they will fight to protect it.
The Matrix is everywhere. It is all around us. Even now, in this very room. You can see it when you look out your window or when you turn on your television. You can feel it when you go to work... when you go to church... when you pay your taxes. It is the world that has been pulled over your eyes to blind you from the truth. What truth? That you are a slave, Neo. Like everyone else you were born into bondage. Into a prison that you cannot taste or see or touch. A prison for your mind.
I'm trying to free your mind, Neo. But I can only show you the door. You're the one that has to walk through it.
I know you're out there. I can feel you now. I know that you're afraid... you're afraid of us. You're afraid of change. I don't know the future. I didn't come here to tell you how this is going to end. I came here to tell you how it's going to begin. I'm going to hang up this phone, and then I'm going to show these people what you don't want them to see. I'm going to show them a world without you. A world without rules and controls, without borders or boundaries. A world where anything is possible. Where we go from there is a choice I leave to you.
No comments:
Post a Comment