Not darkness, for that implies an understanding of light. Not silence, for that suggests a familiarity with sound. Not loneliness, for that requires knowledge of others. But still, faintly, so tenuous that if it were any less it wouldn’t exist at all: awareness.
WWW:WAKE by Robert Sawyer
Anomie Theory describes the effects of early industrialism and the resulting social division of labor with rising suicide rate. Accordingly, in times of social upheaval, “collective consciousness” is weakened and previous norms, moral convictions, and controls dwindle.
Durkheim
“It is as painful perhaps to be awakened from a vision as to be born. Any object, intensely regarded, may be a gate of access to the incorruptible eon of the gods.”
Chapter 14: Oxen of Sun – Ulysses by James Joyce
When you’re in a place of natural silence, you’re not alone, and you can feel it. Whether it’s birdcalls from miles away or the proximity of a giant tree whose warm tones you can feel, there’s a presence, It’s a quieting experience.
–Gordon Hempton, in August 2023 Sun Magazine
These are the 9 counties of the Bay Area.
The Golden Gate Bridge stretches across water connecting Marin & San Francisco Counties.
The Delta flows into the bay between Solano & Contra Costa Counties.
City of San Jose is in Santa Clara County; Matt Mahan is the Mayor.
Remote work has isolated people. Downtowns in the last century were characterized as industry hubs. The new lure for cities are the central social districts. Restaurants, coffee shops, and coworking spaces add robust connectivity to a city’s economy.
A man walks upright. For him it is strenuous to climb a steep hill, because he has to keep pushing his own vertical mass upward and cannot gain any momentum.
The rabbit is better off. His forelegs support his horizontal body and the great back legs do the work. They are more than equal to thrusting uphill the light mass in front of them.
Rabbits can go fast uphill. In fact, they have so much power behind that they find going downhill awkward, and sometimes, in flight down a steep place, they may actually go head over heels.
WATERSHIP DOWN (1972) by Richard George Adams
If artificial intelligence proves to be an inspired portal to higher consciousness, then how much more control of humanity should IT be allowed?