[I probably shouldn’t introduce such a huge and serious topic within the confines of a brief article, but we’re still living in a free country (as of the time of this writing), so I’m going to do it anyway.]
Communication can be direct or indirect. Great communication is an artform.
Occasionally, you might find yourself in a conversation where you wonder, “Wait, what are they actually saying?” For example, you’re in a Bible study discussing a book that you feel is incredibly heretical, one that no Christian would ever agree with its claims or general premise. However, the study leader says, “I think the author makes a lot of great points.” That’s when you say (or at least think), “Wait a minute, are you saying you like that book? You agree with the author?”
Actually, the study leader didn’t claim to agree with the author, even though their response could easily be interpreted to give that impression. Perhaps, overall, they are in strong disagreement with the author; however, they are simply recognizing that a number of claims made in the book truly do make some very important points that even Christians would agree with. The leader’s communication could have been clearer.
On other occasions, you don’t have to wonder at all about what the other person thinks. You might ask, “What did you think about the movie we saw last night?” They reply, “I thought it was the worst movie I’ve ever seen, maybe the worst ever made. I can’t believe I wasted two hours of my life watching it. I would rather have a root canal without any anesthetic than to watch that again!” That’s when you humorously ask, “So how do you REALLY feel about it?”
Time is short, so I need to get to my point. Have you ever heard of Klaus Schwab or the World Economic Forum? If not, you might want to start your research sooner than later!
Most of us have seen movies in which sinister elements gather in a dark room, in the basement chambers of a nondescript building, somewhere in a European country. Why have they convened? To craft an ominous scheme to take over the world and carry out their disturbingly evil plans! The storyline might make for a good plot, but it’s a bit far-fetched most of the time.
Well, things have been developing for quite some time now, with global governance in mind, but the key players no longer feel the need to meet secretly behind closed doors. Quite the opposite! Now they
host huge global conferences with much fanfare and visibility (like the annual forum in Davos, Switzerland)
What are the goals of Klaus Schwab and the World Economic Forum? When you browse their website, you see lots of “word salad.” Here is a portion of their goals (from their web article entitled “8 predictions for the world in 2030”):
[By 2030] all products will have become services. “I don’t own anything. I don’t own a car. I don’t own a house. I don’t own any appliances or any clothes.” Shopping is a distant memory in the city of 2030, whose inhabitants have cracked clean energy and borrow what they need on demand. It sounds utopian, until she mentions that her every move is tracked and outside the city live swathes of discontents, the ultimate depiction of a society split in two.
One of Klaus Schwab’s lead advisors is Yuval Noah Harari (an Israeli historian and professor in the Department of History at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem). And his is another name you should get to know. I could write volumes and volumes on his beliefs and his vision for humanity. Scary stuff!
So, what does our question, “Did he just say that?” relate to? In this case, it relates to an utterance (actually, many) from Yuval Noah Harari: “We will become gods.”
He believes our intelligence finally allows us to rid ourselves of naïve beliefs in the supernatural, which we relied on for years:
“But what we see in the last few centuries is humans becoming more powerful and they no longer need the crutches of the Gods. Now we are saying we do not need God just technology…”
He also believes we can control people and what they think and believe, not based on some level of respect for, or fear of, God, but through technology (and those who regulate it):
“What you try to do a thousand years ago with the priest preaching from the pulpit you will be able to do in a far more invasive way in 10 or 15 years with all kinds of brain-computer interfaces and direct biological interventions.”
“I titled the book ‘Homo Deus’ [Latin for Man God] because we really are becoming gods in the most literal sense possible. We are acquiring abilities that have always been thought to be divine abilities – in particular, the ability to create life. And we can do with that whatever we want.”
“Just as divine authority was legitimized by religious mythologies and human authority was legitimized by humanist ideologies, so high-tech gurus and Silicon Valley prophets are creating a new universal narrative that legitimizes the authority of algorithms and Big Data.”
As technology outperforms human capabilities, the question arises of the actual need for humanity, which Harari comments on:
“So what will be the use of humans in such a world [Where computers outperform humans physically and cognitively]? What will we do with billions of economically useless humans? We don’t have any economic model for such a situation. This may well be the greatest economic and political question of the 21st century.
Given that most humans may also become militarily and economically useless, we may well enter a post-human era, in which information is valued more highly than human beings. Indeed, both biologists and computer scientists increasingly see humans as biochemical algorithms, which should be evaluated strictly according to their data-processing capacities. … we need new and much stronger global political authorities. The new opportunities and threats of the 21st century — from global warming to AI [artificial intelligence] — are all global in nature. If you want to do something serious about them, you must have effective global governance.”
In another interview, where the host asked a question regarding what we will do with all these useless humans, Harari’s response was:
“At present, the best guess we have is to keep them happy with drugs and computer games.”
Hmmm… seems like we have a good jump on that one already! I would add to the list, millions of videos of cute animals doing funny things, which coincidentally was mentioned by Harari in another interview.
I will undoubtedly need to expand on this subject in a future resource (video and/or written), because this is just the tip of the iceberg. It certainly reminds me of statements from another individual, quite a while back, that I’m sure you’re familiar with:
For you have said in your heart: ‘I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation On the farthest sides of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.’ (Isaiah 14:13–14)
This was Satan’s downfall, thinking he could be like God. Shortly after, he convinced Eve to believe a similar lie, and his plan hasn’t changed a bit. (Why mess with something that works so well?)
The good news, as always, is that none of this should come as a surprise (knowing what the Bible says about the end times) and since God isn’t panicking about any of this, neither should we!
These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)
O Lord God of our fathers, are You not God in heaven, and do You not rule over all the kingdoms of the nations, and in Your hand is there not power and might, so that no one is able to withstand You? (2 Chronicles 20:6)
Yours, O Lord, is the greatness, The power and the glory, The victory and the majesty; For all that is in heaven and in earth is Yours; Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, And You are exalted as head over all. Both riches and honor come from You, And You reign over all. In Your hand is power and might; In Your hand it is to make great And to give strength to all. (1 Chronicles 29:11-12)
