Friday, March 17, 2006

The Matrix Generation

If you have not seen "The Matrix", you may not be aware
of how the Future is changing right before our eyes...
In fact, "The Matrix" is actually a trilogy of movies which
(in a nutshell) explores the idea of "Man over Machine",
and in the process, reveals more about what it means
to be Human...

The "Matrix" trilogy is a deeply philosophical treatise,
really, on the Nature of Reality and the Metaphysics
with which such a study is concerned. I have a copy of
the entire 10-CD set of the "Matrix" productions; on
one of the CD's, a number of prominent philosophers,
writers, and thinkers talk for over an hour on the
philosophical and religious implications raised by this
trilogy... The conversation is fascinating, and it
has had a direct impact (along with other things I
have been reading and studying for almost 3 years
now) on Reality, God, Truth, and the Beginning and
End of All Things...

There is no easy way to encapsulate all the material
and themes presented in the "Matrix" trilogy;
You simply MUST see the three movies; open your mind,
ponder what you see and hear, and think deeply
about the basis of everything you say you believe,
indeed, the very makeup of the entity you call YOU...

Those of us -- Christian or non-Christian, religious,
agnostic, or just plain ambivalent -- who fearlessly
embrace that journey are being referred to by many
sources as "The Matrix Generation", as compared to
"The Baby Boomers" or the "X-gen'ers"...

It is WE, and most certainly our KIDS, who will usher
in the next paradigm shift in Humanity, developing
and assimilating such things as molecular
nano-manufacturing, genetic engineering, and
massive robotic automation at the atomic layer.
The science behind these profound changes is
already underway, with products already appearing
on store shelves based on GNR (Genetics,
Nanotechnology, and Robotics) technologies...

Where is GOD in all this?
THAT, my friend, is the question of the millenium.

If you'd like to participate in a CHAT with me
on this subject, go ahead and click the "Comments"
link, below, and let's talk!

2 comments:

Courtney Hoffman said...

Greg,
I do go on your blog on a very regular basis. The problem is, my world seems so trite and minor right now that I am not sure my brain can even comprehend some of the topics you bring up, let alone comment on them. I will try much harder. I do agree, we need to find where we put God in the middle of all of this technology. We have some friends at church trying to conceive. They are now entering the world of "are we playing God by using IVF" However, you could take that view with everything from cancer-fighting medicine, to leaving Sammy's lip instead of offering him a more complete life etc. A person needs to find where God is for themselves, embrace it, and live by it. Our downfall is when we try to define God for other people.
Different note, I think that I might have inspired Charity to try and set up a blog. We might get our family on-line after all!

Greg Kern said...

Hey, cool! Me, You, Charity... Any other KERNs want to join the 21st Century and open up shop in the Blogosphere with us??

:)

I "play" with the Metaphysical branch of philosophy for 2 reasons:

1) It's kind of a "hobby" of mine; the World is a big place, and there are interests of all stripes being pursued by nearly everyone on the planet (stamps, railroads, model airplanes... we could name thousands and thousands...)... Mine happens to be philosophy... so shoot me already... :)

2) But it's more than a hobby: Computers, 9/11, and the current and on-going rush toward Singularity (a catch-all term for accelerating computing power) are making amateur philosophers out of all of us... The Church can continue heading off in its own direction, widening the gap between so-called "saved" and "unsaved", or it can turn and embrace the scientific and technological Changes on the horizon of our post-modern world, STILL maintaining that despite all the whiz-bang advances, GOD is *beyond* those advances and that, ultimately, Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

Science is not our enemy; other religions are not the enemy; and those of us who (we believe) have found the Truth are free to celebrate similarities in other World Views while feeling nothing more and nothing less than Pity and Compassion for the parts of those World Views that REJECT our fundamental differences...

On another note...
GO STARS!!!

:)