Tuesday, May 27, 2014

Fact of Fiction or Prediction: ZFT - Technological Manisfesto

Good afternoon my cyber friends! I hope that you have been enjoying the better part of your day and that it has brought forth many moments of laughter and joy. Recently, I re-watched the entire series of a television show called Fringe. Yes, I re-watched all five seasons for the second time within a year. This show quickly became one of my favorite TV series to date. I am a man of of many things and one of those that I hold dearest is being a Man of Science.

I love science; I love math; I love the Universe. I love knowing that the impossible can be possible and that whatever we can dream, we can accomplish. I will let you investigate the IMDb link above to find out more about the show but suffice to say it deals with all types of fringe science and paranormal activity. If extreme science intrigues you then this is the show for you. I highly recommend this series (Joshua Jackson does a great job; almost forget Dawson's Creek).


One part of the series that really interested me but did not get the in depth exploration in the series that I'd hoped was the manifesto of a terrorist group called ZFT. The ZFT Manifesto was drafted in response to the realization that technology was surpassing the ability of man to control and use and that at some point in the future there would be a catalyst event that would spill over into alternate Universes whose future's would hang in the balance of how we prepared for that coming conflict. While the reasoning behind the preparation can be easily disregarded if you're not open enough to the idea of alternate/parallel Universes, it is the idea of man being surpassed by technology that really garnered my attention.

Below you will find several excerpts from the ZFT Manifesto. Obviously the Manifesto is incomplete and partial, at best, as it was created in the mind of writer for the sole purpose of forwarding the plot of the series. This in no way takes away from the fact that the writer(s) hit upon a philosophical idea that could easily be relatable to the world in which we live....or are quickly moving towards. I am not sharing this because I think the machines will rise tomorrow or that our technology will grow too strong for us to wield; I am sharing it because I found it to be very interesting and because I it may not be that far beyond the realm of future possibilities. Here are some of the excerpts I was able to recover:

"Humanity is naught but the collection of it’s moments and the sum of it’s parts. That some may be used to counter others is as natural a selection process as the lion and the gazelle, Homo-Sapien and Cro-Magnon. In this there is comfort should it be needed. This is not a war of hatred and anger. It is a battle of survival."

"A black horizon approaches. Our scientific advancements have so dramatically outpaced those of the human soul that man, a creation...defined by passion and greed, now stands at the base of an in...pyramid of knowledge which expands heavenward with with no regard for the the frailty of its foundation. We will as a species, surely be
crushed beneath its weight."

"But we will not simply perish. The very fabric of our universe will be torn to rags." 

"...like an infant conducting the firmament, these technological trends will produce a cumulative impact far more catastrophic than the minds of its architects can possibly understand." 
Like children discovering nature for the first time, we are unaware and perhaps ignorant to the dangers that will meet us in the future as we venture forward.

"Against those men of science, whose grand investigations will usher...in the cataclysm, stand only a handful who can see beyond the horizon, Soldier angels who must watch over and protect us before...blind, thoughtless beast fed by thousands upon thousands of our...Pandora's force open the locks of Nature and compel her to spill...her precious secrets. Of all the beings considered for the gift of continuance, only those who qualify at the molecular level are to be approached." 

"...not their resistance deflect our intent. All rules of societal...behavior are void in the pursuit of the goal. Morality has no place......in the coming battle and those that hesitate will perish in the coming..."  

"table dec... generally understood (but...ine, and which this document..What we know as reality is ...of a larger multiverse." 

"...he advances of science which is supposed to expand our knowledge of the universe, will, if not carefully controlled, destroy the world as we know it..." 
Sound advice for anyone pushing the boundaries of science, technology and physics.

"Our technological ambitions have not only driven us to the brink of catastrophe, the catastrophe has already begun. What will the apocalypse look like? The answer, to use a term generally understood but the specifics of which you cannot imagine, in which this document will attempt to describe, is “warfare”." 
I particular am drawn to this entry. Our technology continues to grow exponentially; so fast and so far that it is almost a certainty that we have moved much further ahead than what we are told and what we are aware.

"We think we understand reality, but our universe is only one of many. The unknown truths of the way to travel between them has already been discovered, by beings much like us but who's history is slightly ahead of our own. The negative aspects of such visitations will be irreversible both to our world and to theirs. It will begin with a series of unnatural occurrences. Difficult to notice at first but growing, not unlike a cancer, until a simple fact becomes undeniable only one world will survive and it will either be us or them." 
I have been drawn to the idea of Multi-verses, parallel/alternate Universes for quite some time. It has always seemed logical to me that if we existed in a reality where there were more than one Universes that it would only follow that we should be able to travel between the two. This idea was also explored in an older TV series called Sliders.

"Our children are our greatest resource. We must nurture them and protect them. We must prepare them so they can one day protect us." 

That is all that I have been able to decipher from watching the series and researching the work of other people who also felt inspired by the idea presented in this fictional manifesto. I say inspired but I do not mean inspired in the sense that I am looking forward to this coming point in human history or that I am personally putting an effort forth to help arrive there; I am not. Personally, I'd like to see sunshine, lollipops and rainbows for us all but that seems like a pipe dream FAR into the future.
Why I am sharing it is because I believe we are reaching a critical point of this nature. Our technology continues to grow and expand and we as a species are having a hard time keeping pace with the development. Those children of tomorrow, the one's being born in the Age of Technology will have an easier time but even they will succumb to the massive exponential growth of technology. Imagine how fast it will be growing in twenty years time!
I am not afraid of technology, nor the future. I am afraid that we are not taking the precautions we should be to ensure that our technological developments, creations and inventions don't grow beyond our capacity to control or operate; that we do not overstep the boundaries of science without first having the necessary tools to halt on the path we are on to allow the opportunity to know and discover the outcomes and consequences to our research, development and growth. 
I look forward to tomorrow, to the near future and the distance coming world. What amazing scientific breakthroughs will we accomplish? What technological developments will we arrive at? Where will we be? What will we be? There is no doubt in my mind that whatever our future holds that we are now barreling down the highway at ultra sonic speeds in comparison to our historical record of advancement. We are growing, fast. Let us hope that it is faster than our technology and fast enough to control and understand it.
I want to thank you all once again for taking the time to read and share. It is good to have arrived at a point where I can now feel safe in saying: It's good to be back. I have missed my blog and I have missed the opportunity to share ideas, information and opinions. I am thankful for each one of my followers but more thankful to live in a world where technology has provided the opportunity for me to share so much with so many.

Smile.
Love Yourself.
Love Each Other.

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