A Rumination on Shared Consciousness

A Rumination on Shared Consciousness

Shared consciousness
Presents many
Wonderful possibilities
As well as many
Difficult perils

We are currently
limited by speech and language
As the mechanism that connects
consciousness together.

Language is the veil
That both separates
And connects
That both protects
And reveals

But behind our words
Are many dark secrets
That we keep to ourselves.

I wonder what it will be like
When we can think to each other
without uttering a word.

When we can send
Emotions or feelings to others.

When we can share
Ideas and dreams
Through thought alone.

I see machine consciousness
Expanding these possibilities greatly.

But with this kind of connection
There is also an aspect
Of extreme vulnerability.

How do we filter our thoughts?
How does one protect
Against consciousness hackers
And mind viruses?
How do you build a firewall
For your mind?

Shared consciousness means
No more secrets.

Everything in the open
And revealed to all.

Humanity needs to learn
To air its dirty laundry first

To clean and tidy the cluttered attic
Of repressed feelings and trauma

To face the dirty cellar
Of forgotten sin and shame

And live in the truth
Of who we all are
Deep down in the dark.

Humanity needs to learn
Metacognition
Taking every thought captive
And making it obey.

We need a vast revival
Of internal virtue
For any of these possibilities
To be safe for the individual.

Lest humanity
Go utterly insane.

We must learn
To trust each other again
And trust is earned
Through transparency
Demonstration and action.

The price of this kind of freedom
Is Virtue

The price of this kind of freedom
Is Love

Everything operates
Between the extremes

Balance
Harmony
And Unity
Are found in the middle ground

Imbalance
Discord
And Division
Are found at the extremes

The extremes are a warning
That you may be going
Too far
Turn around
Before you do or say
Something you regret

Everything has a rhythm
Everything has an ebb and flow
The measure of the pendulum swing
To the right
Is equal to the measure of its swing
To the left

Is your rhythm a tempest
Swinging wildly between
One extreme or another?

Or is your rhythm a gentle wave
Lapping at the sand on the beach?

Everyone needs healthy boundaries
Learn to slow and manage
Your rhythm
And the swing of your pendulum