Two news items got me thinking (yet again) about the random impact of technology on society …i.e. on us all! The first was about the imminence of designer babies (the ultimate in 1 % ism) and the second was a Toronto Star article on the famous Sci-fi novelist, William Gibson. Here are some quotes from the article, which echo several of my own long-held opinions on the subject. Gibson: “ The developers of new technologies have no idea of what those technologies are going to do. Most effects are unanticipated, as the technology is instantly absorbed into the culture…But we don’t have any choice. The invisible hand of the market brings these things forth…My colleague, Bruce Sterling said once in passing that technology trumps ideology every time. I’ve been pondering that ever since and in many ways I think it is true…It doesn’t flatter our sense of who we are as a species to admit that, but with sufficient humility we could come to that it is in fact the case, as terrifying as it may be….Emergent technologies, the biggest drivers in human history, are completely random”.

• I agree with Gibson that the market presently “brings these things forth”, but not with the fact that “we don’t have any choice”. My idea is that we could have an elected body that makes decisions, but also an advisory, respected body, a Senate, that is chosen because they have the Wisdom of Elders (not because of which party is in power and makes the appointments). Like Gibson, I didn’t anticipate social media, but I did anticipate the busy-ness, distractedness, disconnection from personal relationships, loss of attention span and the acceleration of Warhol’s 15 Minutes of Fame, which is now showing up in studies. How to choose such a Senate, would benefit from having a Ken Wilber-like notion of evolved consciousness/ Quality in decision. Wilber seeks to map levels of consciousness, as we are presently attempting to map our genes. We can access these different levles of consciousnesss through deep, skillful (usually guided by a Master) meditation.
• I think that the Introduction of New Technologies is important enough to merit a separate, national governmental department/ ministry, not only because of Gibson’s observation that Technology trumps Ideology, but that it is especially, particularly, urgently important since the 21st century technologies can be incorporated within human beings (designer babies are the first step) and they can become mutated and self-reproducing. At present, these technologies are robotics, genetics and nanotechnology..but the list will probably lengthen.
• An observation: Present tendencies within the USA favour an unregulated Free Market as the ultimate Capitalist, American Solution. We have to inquire more deeply, more profoundly within the Science/ Religion question….beyond knee jerk either/ or …into the specific implications. I think a Deep Spirituality movement is the only thing that can bring vertical Quality into the Public Discussion…which is what several organisations are presently exploring, including the Forge Guild, of which I am a member. Check out our initiative www.globalspiritualcitizenship.org and sign up! We recently offered it to the Occupy Wall St movement as guiding principles.

This is the title of an article in the NY Times by Pico Iyer. Some excerpts: “The more ways we have to connect, the more many of us seem desperate to unplug…..The average American spends at least 8 ½ hours a day in front of a screen.. The urgency of slowing down – to find the time and space to think – is nothing new and wiser souls have always reminded us…..Distraction is the only thing that consoles us in our miseries’, the French Philosopher Blaise Pascal wrote in the 17th century, ‘yet it is itself the greatest of our miseries’… ..Marshal McLuhan, who came closest than most to seeing what was coming, warned, ‘When things come at you very fast, naturally you lose touch with yourself’……A series of tests have shown..that after spending time in quiet rural settings, subjects ‘exhibit greater attentiveness, stronger memory and generally improved cognition. Their brains become both calmer and sharper’.”

What does all of this mean and why is it happening? This subject deserves a voluminous book, but here are a few bloggerisms to consider:
1. Information, news, “happenings” etc give us ever more data on which to base our decisions, but don’t necessarily lead to better qualitative decisions. In the end, “We” / “I” have to decide…have to take the plunge. Truth be told, there is now so much information available on the internet and elsewhere, we ignore most of it and “cherry pick” (remember Bush-Cheney?) the bits we like…which merely reinforces our original likes/dislikes and opinions. We aren’t nearly as logical and objective as we think, and consequently remain locked in our own patterns..which often clashes with the similarly locked-in patterns of others. The Dems/ Repubs in the USA are a classic example. This dynamic also shuts down the possibility of real, creative change even as its urgency grows.
2. In addition to not necessarily leading us to (or perhaps diverting us from) better decision-making, Technology and Science may be profoundly affecting us in ways not generally acknowledged…from ingestion of toxic foods and chemicals to behavioural changes that may be long-term impacting our brains and much more. Our present consumer society has no effective mechanism to vet the potential negative impact of new technology, so whatever can be marketed, is….often under the guise of “convenience”, “coolness”, “sexiness” etc. Technology is not an objective tool we use only when appropriate, but is designed to be interactive with us, shaping our behaviour and habits (for someone else’s $ profit) and often becoming addictive.
3. As an Insight Meditation (Vipassana) teacher, I have for years been warning about the effects Iyer describes in his insightful article, since these are diametrically opposed to most deeper meditative disciplines. 2500 years ago, the Buddha pointed out that we suffer because we become attached to things, people, ideas, which in fact are constantly changing and therefore insubstantial…slipping thru our fingers like sand. It should be noted that the “I”or “We” who is getting attached is also temporary and changing… the truth of which we can investigate, if we make the quiet space and time to skilfully (it helps to have a qualified teacher) look into ourselves. Being “plugged in” is shrinking our attention span through overstimulation and the turning of our attention ever more, not less, outward. Instead of making decisions from a deeper, more universal space, we now tend to regard as important what others think is important…”trending”, “going viral”, what our Twitter followers or Facebook friends suggest.
4. What can we do? Build pauses into your life - many. Iyer makes another insightful comment, “More and more people I know seem to be turning to yoga, meditation or tai chi; these aren’t new age fads so much as ways to connect with what could be called the wisdom of old age”. My last comment: We don’t automatically become wiser as we get older, only if we from time to time to create the space to see the reality of Intercommection and Onesness..which comes from skillful meditation and self-inquiry.

For those of you who want to profoundly and creatively unplug, check out my mind-body Personal Mastery program at www.powerofbalance.com and retreats at www.harmonydawn.com. My next Meditation retreat is April 13-15

The criticism of the Occupy Wall St movement for not proposing specific solutions is predictable, but like the movement itself, touches on fundamental issues, in this case…Is it better to try to deal with specific problems in a limited, temporary way, or try to get to the root of the problem. Overwhelmingly, on both the individual and collective levels, we choose the former. This is not a coincidence.

Over the last 400 years with the rise of modern science, we have been encouraged to analyse and fragment life into ever smaller pieces. However, we have forgotten, if we ever knew in the first place, how to integrate / truly see all the pieces as a coherent whole …which in a way is what Spirituality is all about. Thus we juggle issues like ever more balls in the air and of course, many fall to the ground. Parts of a budget, whether national or family, represent competing, often conflicting and contradictory, demands for limited resources. We desperately struggle to keep up , but rarely ask ourselves, Who we truly are and What we really want. It should be obvious (and studies prove it) that Consumption in itself doesn’t really make us happy and can’t be sustained, since resources (including water, food and energy) are limited and since the number of consumers, each with insatiable demands, is exploding.

It seems to me that Occupy Wall St is about a growing number of people feeling exploited and discarded by the System and rather than looking for specific options within the system – policies, parties, members of Congress etc – are questioning the System itself. This questioning and inquiry into our collective hopes and visions is long overdue, because without it, our efforts are like putting the proverbial cart before the horse.

Although Occupy Wall St presently focuses mostly on economics, it must go deeper to underlying human Values (not in the Religious Right sense), if we are to make better qualitative decisions. As I have written in this space many times before, we have been conditioned to respond to Quantity rather than Quality. To begin to recognize the latter, there must be qualitative changes within ourselves, specifically within our consciousness.

How can we transform our consciousness? Meditation would seem to be the most direct route. However, be aware that not all forms of so-called “meditation” lead to the same place and that the process of transformation, while appearing simple, is not easy….otherwise we would all be enlightened by now! The deepest form of meditation is inquiry into the Self, which if skilled and persistent enough, leads to the transformation of the Self, since its true nature is not what we conventionally take it to be.

I've decided to do a series of blogs (similar to Harper Watch) on the USA, since it is our neighbour, the most powerful country in the world, and the country to which Stephen Harper has purposely and consistently ceded Canadian sovereignty under the guise of bureaucratic efficacy (joint "security”, "prosperity” etc.  ),  thereby avoiding any public disclosure or discussion.
The June 26, 2011 edition of the New York Times featured an interesting selection of articles which are not only current news, but touch on matters I have been writing about for years:

• "U.S.  Falls behind in the Green Economy”.  "Many European countries – along with China, Japan and South Korea – have pushed development of carbon reducing technologies with a robust policy mix of direct investment, tax breaks, loans, and regulations. But with the U.S. Congress divided over whether climate change is real, American efforts have paled in comparison”. Hal Harvey of Stanford University estimates the new green business is worth $5 trillion and the USA is losing out. He says, "We have let energy policy succumb to partisan politics”. [In Canada, Harper has aped the U.S. stance on climate change].
• "Human Beings. Version 2.0”. "Faster, better, smarter. No, not human beings, but perhaps everything else.  In a world of the always improving and never-ending upgrade, it's possible that human beings are getting left behind. As workers get more expensive and equipment gets cheaper, the combination is encouraging companies to spend on machines rather than people…..But training human beings in basic skills may be waning.  With computer keyboards and smart phones increasingly occupying young fingers, the art of cursive writing is going the way of the quill and inkwell.”  Instead of raising their hands to answer questions in class, many students give feedback via Twitter etc. [This article is rather mild. Human beings are definitely being left behind because artificial intelligence is evolving thousands of times faster than human intelligence and the tipping point is only 10-15 years away. They are being replaced by machines because our current Free Market economic system strives for greater ‘productivity', which is the amount of work per person.  Obviously one person can get a lot more work done by supervising robotic machines rather than working side by side with other humans.  I wrote at length about this in my 2003 book, "Ageless Wisdom Spirituality: Investing in Human Evolution”]
• "Poisoning by lead a growing scourge in China”. A 2006 survey found that 33% of Chinese children showed elevated levels of lead in their blood! Another example of how Free Market "prosperity” is in fact won on the backs of the average person. You may have more $ in your pocket, but if you are the victim of environmental  or other non-monetary damage (likely if regulations are lax), you're on your own! The present Free Market ideology was pioneered by Reagan and Thatcher in the 80s using Milton Friedman's ideas.
• "Drones, some as tiny as bugs, are poised to alter war". Americans have been working on robotic flying machines (mostly for spying and killing), like the Predator which is 8 meters long with a wingspan of nearly 17 meters…basically a small unmanned aircraft.  They have already developed a prototype of the Hummingbird, 10 cm long with a 16 cm wingspan, weighing 18 grams. They are thinking of drones that can act like insect swarms and can have them ready before 2030.  This is scary sci fi stuff which is no longer sci fi. Think about the possibilities if the government (or perhaps a corporation) turns this technology against you! The fly on your wall may be a robotic drone!  While on the subject, the US catches "terrorists” by scanning emails..which includes your emails!  Suppose a President or a certain Canadian Prime Minister decides that "unpatriotic” thoughts and speech are "treason”!

“What is reality?” for most people is a stupid question.  The “real world” is “obvious” and demands all our time and energy – money, food, drink, sex, status, relationships, possessions, work, leisure, responsibilities, laws etc.

This view of reality is essentially materialistic.  Our consciousness is seen as tied to the personal body and brain functioning – mere chemical and electrical processes; we come out of nowhere and at death will return to nowhere and nothing.  So the most “logical” thing is do the best we can for ourselves – try to get ahead of others in the game of life; maximize pleasure and minimize pain; consume and accumulate. The rise of the unfettered Free Market ideology in recent decades has encouraged and reinforced this mindset, which is regarded as “hard-headed” and logical...the only practical way. 

However, under scrutiny, this worldview isn’t as logical as we presume and moreover, it isn’t working all that well.  Half of the world lacks the most basic life necessities and is getting left further behind. Even in the wealthiest countries, most are struggling just to keep afloat, longing for greater meaning and connection.  Formal studies are beginning to substantiate anecdotal evidence.  It seems that beyond a certain level of prosperity, around $25,000 p.a. national average income, greater GNP does not necessarily translate into a higher national “happiness” index and seems subject to the law of diminishing returns. The gap between rich and poor within countries and between countries has been growing, causing greater social instability and damaging health, trust and cooperation across the board just as emerging global challenges – economic, environmental, strategic and more - all call for a much greater level of cooperation and trust.  “Me first” decisions and consumption may spur the market temporarily, but do not lead to stability and sustainability, as we can see from the present, ongoing Recession and the stubbornly high unemployment levels.

For centuries and indeed millennia, some of the world’s greatest spiritual teachers, both Eastern and Western, have pointed out that materialism by itself can never fulfill us because we are not just material beings but also manifestations of Spirit.... of the Divine.  They have taught us ways (beyond mere belief and conformity) through which we can explore our deeper, spiritual nature.  Different levels of “reality” open up to us, giving rise to layered, interconnected, holistic perspectives and choices, far different from our present simplistic either-or, us-them, good-evil, black-white ones.  The faster our science and technology evolve, the more urgent it becomes that we as human beings evolve in order to control the powers we unleash. Almost 100 years ago, the great Indian sage Sri Auroindo wrote, "The most vital issue of the age is whether the future progress of humanity is to be governed by the modern economic and materialistic mind of the West or by a nobler pragmatism guided, uplifted and enlightened by spiritual culture and knowledge".

Some argue that Spirituality is not compatible with Science; others argue that we already have religion and it doesn’t seem to solve our problems.  There is growing evidence that Science and Spirituality are in fact compatible. My Forge Guild colleague, Charles Tart, has written an excellent book, The End of Materialism: How Evidence of the Paranormal is bringing Science and Spirit together. He presents persuasive scientific evidenceto support the existence of the “big five” psi phenomena -  telepathy, clairvoyance, precognition, psycho kinesis and psychic healing – and points to other “maybes” like out of body and near death experiences.

The popularity of interactive video games and of participation in a virtual “Second Life”, often in preference to and neglect of our actual lives,  should  cause us to inquire into the nature of “reality” and the powerful role that the mind plays in shaping it, as major spiritual traditions teach.  Unfortunately, so far it is used almost exclusively as an escape from life...which is in itself telling and disturbing.

As to why religions seem to cause as many problems as they solve, I would like (as others have done) to distinguish between religion and spirituality.  Very briefly and crudely, religions are usually organizations with a system of beliefs, rituals and practices aimed at pleasing an omnipotent deity in this life and/ or the next.  If we attribute human characteristics to the deity and if our religion is seen as the superior or only way to god, then it lends itself to conflict with non-believers. Ironically, although many religious people acknowledge a spiritual after-life, it doesn’t stop them from treating this life as totally materialistic.  In contrast, Spirituality is usually an attempt to experience our spiritual Oneness/ Divinity by following the teachings and instruction of teachers, prophets, mystics etc. who have had this experience .  Since spirituality is about realizing Oneness and Love, it would make no sense to kill others who believe differently!  It seems to me likely that all major religions started out this way, but eventually got overtaken by politics and bureaucracy as is wont to happen.

The terms “religion” and “spirituality” have been hijacked by the extremists.  I think they should be reclaimed by the masses because they are so important to our common human journey and legacy, which is why I personally pushed to have it included in the title of the Forge project which ultimately became the Call to Global Spiritual Citizenship (www.globalspiritualcitizenship.org)