There’s seems to be a great conflict, two competing ideas that twist through our culture and our beings as well. In the Copper Chronicles, a repeating theme is quest for meaning- to learn things- and to explore. I mean, to know things that matter.

The blinking lights of social media are very stimulating, like coffee. But, having my heart beat in an elevated state, then seeing thousands of images (mostly peppered with sales pitches), is not particularly helpful to this pursuit of meaning.

I mean, who’s idea is it anyway, to subject human beings to steady sources of mostly meaningless stimulation, then sell them things??

Jean-Luc Picard’s Next Generation Star Trek crew experience this phenomenon. An alien ship introduces the crew to a new electronic ‘toy.’ After everyone gets addicted- and hypnotized essentially- the alien species begins to take over the ship.

There’s an unhealthy subliminal message twisting through our media and my being- ‘one that creates confusion and desperation. So, one feels like Humphrey Bogart hacking his way out of the jungle while lost on his ship, “The African Queen.”

That message is: it’s ‘Just Us.’ There’s no such thing as truth, or God, or Justice. We are accountable to no one. That’s explains why the world is chaotic. People in power think they can do whatever they want. Who can say otherwise?

Is it Justice we want? Or is it Just Us? And we would like to continue doing whatever we want? I watch Star Trek, I don’t want to be hypnotized and infiltrated by alien species! And, as for Humphrey Bogart, his real character in the story steals the missionary’s wife, I believe. Then rushes out in the jungle with her and the two get swallowed up by it, never to emerge again…

Hollywood makes the two characters tragic heroes, of course. You can do anything in Hollywood! ‘An industry devoted to selling complete fantasy: where we can do whatever we want!

Who can say otherwise??