An introduction
The recent crisis in Israel and Palestine hits at the heart of a recent article that I have been writing these past few weeks for publication. The magical web of technology, media and social media is at the heart of the planning of this conflict as well the invasion of Ukraine by Russia.
The ability to plan and initiate such invasions completely hidden from the most sophisticated intelligence agencies in the world, demonstrates its capabilities. Secrets can be hidden, and falsities can be used to facilitate, plan, initiate and implement such activities.
My assertion in my article is that if this magic web were fully utilized for understanding, peace, and goodwill throughout the world, what a different world it would be
Those of who have been involved in community development work, even before my time, worked on the premise of building community as the means of sharing, compromise, and progress as the means to prosperity and peace. In the beginning we had little by means of communications only local meetings.
Those in bygone days realized that community was necessary for a better life for all. Their tools and knowledge from others were more rudimentary, but the concept of “community” did eventually spread to many places in the world, but progress was much slower.
We now live in a world of instantaneous voice and visual communications in almost every corner of the planet. This should be used to build understanding, sharing, and spreading prosperity to all. It could enable the creation of an international community of communities interacting with each other for the common good of humanity.
Instead, those who own and control all the networks within this web and others with power are using it for division, turmoil, and control.
My main contention is that this could change if people could gain access and support to this web in a meaningful way and without interference to organize, in educate, build understanding and care for each other. This would broaden the scope of what people did locally to build community with little by way of communications tools.
There were conflicts as well, but they were mostly resolved in peaceful ways. I am not naive to believe there were not powerful people seeking control in earlier times, but people came together even then, understood the control, and forced balance.
Building community was never easy, and perhaps never will be as people are different. Even in time of terror and war throughout history people eventually came together for the common good. Our magic web could facilitate this in ways never possible before and in a much wider context if there was a will.
My belief as put forward in my article is that the process of community building is the same. The significant difference is the tools for communication and sharing are much are much advanced and widely available throughout the world. Read, comment, and share if you will.
The article
Scott could not imagine the concept of the magical web of technology, media and communication capabilities that exists in the world today, or its reach to most all the people who live in it – even the poorest.
Neither would he comprehend how this magical web is being used to influence people’s perception of what is happening around them, and how it is putting the world and its inhabitants at risk of complete destruction.
There is need for a discussion to explore this magical web and how ordinary people could use it to untangle themselves from those who control it, and many aspects of our human existence.
As C. Wright Mills, the sociologist who brought the phrase “power elite” into our language wrote in 1955 “Within American society, major national power now resides in the economic, the political, and the military domains.” He could not image the power and influence vested in those who own and control this technology, communications, and global media.
The concentration of wealth and the power that goes with it in the hands of the one percent of the world’s populations, their resultant control of the survival of people, ability to influence information sources, and the governments’ that manage peoples’ well being is a cause for concern.
Consider how much control they have over the minds and hearts of people with the global web of communications that exists in the world and their reach without moving from their offices.
These people with their domination of communications can do this from where they sit (i.e., Musk who shut of satellite communications to Ukraine at the onset of their counter offensive against Russia). They sit on the power to destroy the world and all life that exists.
In other eras, religions with their gods held sway over the minds of much of the world, and still do, with the promise someone (a man) in the sky had complete control and would protect them and punish those who tried to harm them. That did not stop men who wanted complete control from destroying people, societies and huge swaths of this beautiful planet of wonder.
Religious power in today’s world is waning as people have seen and lived through the destructive nature of the growing power of elites over the past century with its wars and depressions caused by the sheer manipulation by men in control.
There was no god to step in and stop the destruction and the loss of so many human lives.
It was after the last great war, its destructive nature, and the introduction and scare of nuclear weaponry and it power of annihilation that change came. Many countries in the world created a path of reconstruction founded on human inclusion, care, and renewed educational systems built on science and innovation to use human intelligence and capabilities to create a better world for all.
The result over the decades after the war helped build for much of the world a beautiful and magical world of interconnectivity that connects much of humanity, even those most poor. This web of connectivity has the capabilities to educate and support, even those most disparate.
But those who can and will manipulate for their own benefit gradually gained control of this web. They now use it to influence and play to people’s differences and prejudices to isolate them, causing conflicts and wars as they always have done do to divide and conquer.
In the context of a web being useful we can learn from our friend the spider, and the webs they weave and how they use it as entrapment of prey. But they also develop ways to protect themselves from the creatures that would attack and devour them in return. Most importantly, we must realize that even spider webs have their limits in scope and size, or they collapse.
In the human context, we must first appreciate how web is being used, and understand how we are being influenced, even manipulated, by those who control it.
If people are to counter these movements of control and containment people they will need to communicate with others, no matter where they live, their status, nature or differences. This, to learn from each other and create means to balance the divisions being created.
We have created a technological and communications web with the capabilities to bring and unite the entire world like never before in history, it is one of the greatest human achievements ever, let us not waste it.
We must use the age-old process “of going to the people” to build a broad-based counter movement to what is being foisted on so many people throughout the world. This is much easier today with our magical communications systems than in other eras in history where space and time inhibited human contact and interaction.
Their reticence to come forward is often shyness, insecurity, or lack of confidence. Moreso, now most often those working in communities think they have the answer and present graphs, charts and visuals which mean little to their audience.
This “go tell the people process” often leads to frustration, even cynicism, and lack of participation. All people have intelligence, even those with little education, and with a little help, can figure things out for themselves once they are given time, encouragement and support.
I have learned in all my years of work, with wise advice, practice, and participation that going to people spending time to know them, listening to them, and understanding who they are, their experiences, and feeling leads to participation. They are most often not participating because no one asked or encouraged them.
Dialogue and shared learning are fundamental, and lending support helps people frame their problem, and over time with community participation helps them develop the basis for the solution. This takes time with, and most often leads to a suitable solution for them, rather than being offered a ready-made solution from elsewhere. In the end, they can say we did this ourselves.
We have within our reach, the knowledge and tools to heal the environmental damage created by our greed, waste, and disregard for nature’s limits and our own needs. Yet, much of it is used to divide, conquer, and destroy each other and the wonderful nature that we were given.
A much better approach would be to bring people together to better understand each other and their differences so they build a movement to solve global dilemmas and problems.
It is now possible with technology and communications systems to build a global community of communities where people can communicate face to face, young and old can meet, share and help each other, no matter their distance, as if they are in the same room.
Historically, one of the greatest challenges has been how do the elderly relate to those most young. Time and experience create the difference. The new young people face a whole different challenge than those old, because of what they have had created for them.
The challenge of those elder is to bridge the gap as best we can before we leave this life with affection, care and love. The hope is that we both can make a small difference in a world of transition as it has always been. Our magical web can help facilitate the process unlike any other era.
We have the responsibility to leave a world intact enough for the next generations to uncover their own wonders. So why deceive ourselves anymore about human power and its significance, when we are surrounded by a much greater power, which is life itself. This is vividly on display in the storms, fires, and disasters as life and nature fight back to bring life into balance.
Written by William (Bill) Pardy
October 13th, 2023
