Editorial #292 What do We Have to Fear?
There is a child’s game which asks you to choose between flying or being invisible. The answer is very telling about a person’s personality. Flying like a bird is innocence, liberating and whimsical. But, being invisible eliminates any inhibitions one may have. Everyone behaves with some concern about what people will think. Extremes of evil happen when they think no one will find out what they did.
Technology has delivered us to a point when where we are virtually able to do both.
With drones we can fly like a bird. But with electronic surveillance, search engines, social media, crypto currency, GPS and hacking one can get the feeling of being invisible, secretly able to spy on everyone. Technology forms a cloak of invisibility with both good and bad repercussions. All these marvels of today have a dark side that it is impossible to avoid.
Kid Napping and extortion are age old crimes. Ransom ware attacks are the new high tech way of doing the same thing with crypto currency facilitating these crimes. We all want privacy but it is now being grabbed by evil doers because they feel invisible. The same privacy we value is being used by crooks, taking advantage of that same privilege.
We prize our autonomy and independence because it gives the security of a locked door. It keeps honest people honest. But crooks can now “break in” from thousands of miles away while sitting at their kitchen table and extort because of crypto currency. Fortunately, crypto currency can now be traced, but conversely, the government can also trace our money and everything we do. The classic double edged sword.
As Dickens described 1775 Europe “these are the best of times and the worst of times”. These words describes every age since the dawn of civilization. Over 75 years ago “Animal Farm” and “1984” hinted that the marvels of today would sink the world into a Godless, pagan swamp of depravity.
Our ancestors lived their time in history fighting this same battle between good and evil. So what do we have to fear? Actually, nothing! We must pray that we never let the fear in our mind snuff out the dreams in our heart.
This is Keith Kube wishing you the best in making the world a better place.
Keith has a regular commentary on WJAG 780 radio at 7:40 on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. Check his website www.keithkube.com for past editorials.