THOUGHT WARS

36" x 36" ACRYLIC ON CANVAS, COMPLETED 2/2007

This painting is a commission. It was begun in mid 2006. The original painting was developed for nearly 6 months. One day I awoke to the fact that the painting was crap. So I obliterated it. The original painting, which was a depiction of Heaven, Hell and Earth, is still under this painting. (as a secret map of impasto shows) When I look upon this painting, I still see very clearly the one underneath.

Be that as it is, this group of ideas was better for me. It's more about things of which I ponder. I think more about where the human species are headed these days than I think about hell.

What I envision for humanity is one of two possible futures. The first is terribly simple, we annihilate ourselves.

We cease to evolve, becoming extinct either very quickly, or going through a long and horrible lingering death. That is more possible now than it ever was in recorded time. I thought this possible when I was a child. I thought of it much. I think it even more now. Frankly, I think anyone who does not see this potential is being foolish. There are several ways we could eradicate ourselves. I will not elaborate.

The exploding Atomic Bomb and the desolated burning forest in this painting illustrates my thoughts of self destruction, though there are many other ways we could do it.

My second scenario, in which we live on, and are allowed to evolve through our own devices, (and natures), leads us to a very different future.

In my opinion, if we survive, it's likely to lead us to immortality. The same technologies that threaten to destroy us, could make us the all time winners of Earth evolution. Maybe even to achieve the ultimate goal for ALL life forms in the Universe!; to become GODS.

In this painting I play with ideas of how technology will evolve to serve us, and itself. Machines will soon begin to build themselves. As soon as they machines become more intelligent than their makers, (us), they will either decide, (for they WILL think), to get along with us, or they will see things differently. It's difficult to predict how this will play out. However, I will assume that they will still be under our control for now.

The machines and computers will continue to recreate themselves in better and more efficient ways. (My big blue machine in the center of the painting is an example, recreating itself in mass)

At the same time, we will continue to augment our bodies, including our minds, with enhancement technologies. Those who have the ability to afford augmentation will go way beyond what most of us dream of today. Eventually every organ of the body, including the human brain will be replaceable. From common eye glasses we will go to increasing a persons vision to 'super power' levels. Telescopic and microscopic. From hearing aids we will go to super hearing, long range and fucused. When nano technologies become readily available, we will implant tiny devices in ourselves. Telephones, computers, and devices of all kinds will become no bigger than the head of a pin, and eventually microscopic. What once was as big as a house, will become to small to see.

The only limitation to such devices will be our imaginations. Think how many ways we could improve ourselves? Think what we could become? We will have the ability to augment all that we are and see and understand.

Is this not the equivalent of remaking ourselves into what we perceive as God? Perhaps this is the true destiny of human kind? Perhaps the true destiny of our species is to meld with the machines that we have created and to become them, and them us. When that is accomplished, how then shall we die? We will not! Not unless we will it.

We may eventually find a way to merge our consciousness. When all our minds are one, and every mind is open to the fullest, we will evolve beyond all things we depend upon today. Even our bodies will become obsolete.

In my painting 'THOUGHT WARS', I play with some of these ideas. I illustrate in a 'psyco-cartoonistic' style how the machines evolve. I show the last of all 'pre-mechanica' human dreams. Thoughts and essence being vacuumed up into the new manifestations of our mechanica progeny.

In my painting you see the 'have nots', the unfortunate many who will not have the ways nor the means to realize this grand step in human evolution. They huddle in despair down near the lower right hand cornet of the painting. The old city stands alone, cut off and encased in a bubble.

The 'souls' of the 'evolved' sing from a man-made orbiter in the upper left. The many wonders of our imaginations fly in the sky. The machine most prominent gives birth to itself by the trillions.

The rider in the lower left also represents those 'left behind'. This strange creature stands dumb as it is gazed upon with curiosity by one of the 'seeing machines', or 'see'ers' . The see'ers roam this dreamscape searching for sources of information. The principal big blue character digests and then disseminates this information through the arms that reach everywhere. The new world consciousness can absorb all that has been learned before its creation.

'THOUGHT WARS' shows a future that can contain wonders and immortality or deviation and nothingness. Until the future unfolds, we are all locked into a war of thoughts.

To see detailed pictures of this painting please go to this location: [link]

RS ~ 3/7/2007