When the Flat You Need to Mend is You

In old time cartoons, characters were often run over by a steamroller (not entirely unlike the size of modern Zambonis) that would flatten them into paper dolls. They would sproing into a vertical orientation to demonstrate that they were, indeed, simply rolls. Recovering was not a difficult project as most would automatically pop back into shape to continue the cartoon.* Being blown up or flattened or left with big holes in the middle from the impact of cannon balls were never catastrophic attacks. Death was mocked with winged ghosts of the recently deceased—especially if the deceased were bad guys, such as in WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT.

Modern cartoons that seem to take their reality more seriously or at least less optimistically don’t use steamrollers much. (In real life they’re called compacters now and they squish asphalt into highways without the use of steam—not very exciting unless used as a murder device on a TV series such as MIDSOMER MURDERS.) Perhaps drama has recently transferred to regular humans who often complain of feeling like they’ve been flattened, if not physically then emotionally. Many believe the digital world is stealing human potential. We’re relegated to be the service fingers that make the key strokes that bring fantasies to life.

Whether or not AI is sucking the dimensions out of us, we often feel or imagine that we aren’t as interesting as people once were. We’ve given over much of our communication to artificial intelligences that write, speak, and even act in our place. That conclusion is debatable, of course, considering the massive steps forward humans have made in recent decades in science and technology, but a growing spirituality that includes segments of traditional religions coupled with traditional science point out we’ve only just begun to realize how very complicated our earth, our galaxy, our universe, and ourselves are. Consciousness is the word of the day, when we don’t really have a solid grasp of what consciousness is. Are we secretly digital? Are we an experiment by superior beings? Are we and our planet, as many contend with their own evidence, truly only half physical and half energy some call spirit? Is all earth material an illusion?

We can’t say with certainty what or who we are or who we will be. At last human myths and tales threaten to represent a level of reality we’ve scorned to our detriment. Persuasive, powerful people have chosen the reality we are taught. Now many less curious humans don’t know who to believe when the answer may be we all have a bit of awareness born into us. We feel drawn to certain truths or maybe particular mental abilities that we were told were paths to evil. Most of us don’t want to open that door, afraid the myth of Pandora’s Box will prove to be substantial. And who can say it won’t? Others watch to catch film of angels. We really have no clue what the clash of traditionalists and the imaginative futurists will produce.

On a personal level, each of us can choose how deeply we look into our personalities. Are our failures misnamed? Are our experiences helping  us grow  into identities our ancestors wouldn’t recognize? Have we underestimated what we can do with these bodies of ours and with these minds? Have we discounted the absolute power of creativity and love because honoring them sounds corny? Is that one reason we don’t love ourselves unconditionally? Currently, certain people are willing themselves to know less, to turn to plastic traditional emotions instead of allowing themselves all that emotions can be. Free will may be a far greater privilege and responsibility than we ever imagined. And what more might we be able to learn and do in cooperation with animals besides eating them? Regardless of how hard some would push us toward a new dark ages, we have the gift of growth when we opt to use it wisely.

*For an updated demonstration, Wylie Coyote from https://walmart.com.