It seems important to ask: why is this happening and how did we get here? We might start with a kind of combination koan and insight from world-renowned conservationist and humanitarian Dr. Jane Goodall who said: “Here we are the most clever species ever to have lived, so how is it we can destroy the only planet we have?” How indeed? Hyper-capitalist acceleration and the collapse of many long taken-for-granted social and political structures seem inextricably linked as if going in one direction and we inadvertently slide into another. As humanity reaches the pinnacle of technological mastery, we simultaneously seem to be descending into a kind of archaic chaos. 

Economic Globalism and AI

We’re being told by the scions of global wealth and power that AI is the answer to all of humanity’s problems. But perhaps this in and of itself is just one more problem. Not only are we the most clever species but we appear to be “clevering” ourselves into even more havoc by depending on a technological advance that hasn’t proven itself. It’s a half-baked end product even in the corporate marketplace let alone as a solution to an ever-growing swath of global social and political problems, often categorized under the moniker of polycrisis. And how curious it is that we’re seeing AI applied more to war than to addressing critical issues such as climate change. 

In this journey into uncharted waters, we may be witnessing a head-on collision with the limits of an overly rational view of the world. AI systems are supposed to represent the epitome of intelligence, but is it an act of intelligence to create something that even its Big Tech creators admit might precipitate humanity’s demise? The struggle between a Western world dominated by rationality and a detached view of the natural world has been percolating in the collective for a long time. In the 18^th century, poet and visionary William Blake railed against “the dehumanizing idolatry of reason.” In one way of looking at things, AI is the apotheosis of reason, further leaving human emotion, compassion, and appreciation or the need to connect to the natural world in the dust as it races towards the Next Big Thing. It appears to be a kind of Trojan Horse to promote hyper-capitalism and limitless economic expansion to the exclusion of all else.

The Fragility of the Global Village 

To understand the need for a return to a local-friendly future, it’s important to unpack how economic globalism is starting to unravel. The mis-application of advanced technologies has a huge hand in this. Visionary Marshall McLuhan’s illuminating notion of a “Global Village” has eroded as the Internet and digital technologies – once promising tools for education and enlightened collaboration – have now been corporate-captured. The formerly useful meme of being a “planetary citizen” somehow seems no longer viable. And the much-vaunted globalized system of communication and awareness that modernism depends on, and at one point seemed so promising for new human possibilities, has now shown itself to be a fragile construct that can be wiped out by bits of computer code gone awry. The inherent fragility of the digital foundations for globalism has now been exposed and revealed with two massive worldwide digital outages wreaking havoc in airports, hospitals, schools, and other core institutions which modern life relies on to function. 

The reality on the ground is that economic globalism is totally dependent on a privately owned and operated digital infrastructure for its very existence. Localism on the other hand is dependent on ordinary people doing ordinary things and connecting at human scale in a right-minded way. The contrast is stark but instructive. The first is dependent on the good graces of a few powerful oligarchs and a vast corporate infrastructure with tentacles reaching into every country. The latter is available via simple human empowerment and decision-making. The choice seems clear enough. 

***

Tom Valovic is a writer, researcher, and media analyst. He is the author of Digital Mythologies (Rutgers University Press), a series of essays that explored emerging social and cultural issues raised by the advent of the Internet. Tom has served as a consultant to the former Congressional Office of Technology Assessment and was editor-in- chief of Telecommunications magazine for many years. He has written about the effects of technology on society, the media, and on environmental issues for a variety of publications including Common Dreams, Columbia University’s Media Studies Journal, Counterpunch, The Technoskeptic, Annals of Earth, the Sierra Club Newsletter, Wisdom magazine, the Whole Earth Review, the Boston Globe, the San Francisco Examiner and many others. He can be reached at cloudhands5885@gmail.com. 

Introduction:

Sensing the Zeitgeist of the times, our team at Safe Tech International felt perhaps a renewed and internationally coordinated initiative focusing on local communities might be timely.

The idea was to invite people around the world to simultaneously send a letter to their local officials communicating strong dissent to the proliferation of EMFs in their community or city.  

We considered two possibilities: A Notice of Liability (NOL), or perhaps a more cordial but firm awareness raising letter. 

What emerged, while still a “letter” so to speak, could more aptly be called an ode to a simpler and saner way of life, with a special emphasis on the role of technology in our lives. A kind of invitation for ourselves, elected reps, and others to hold in our mind’s eye and heart the innate desire we humans share:

A desire for a life of health, well-being, wholesome relationships, a humble place to call home, a modest livelihood, and a way to contribute to the local and global family of life…and of course, all to the backdrop of world peace.   

The letter, or ode, has a very different style from how we usually communicate with our elected reps. This was intentional as for our civilization to open to the changes that life seems to be thirsting for, we must be authentic. No pretenses, role playing, or hierarchy. Just honest and open connections. 

The letter offers specific suggestions, many about technology, but also about education, the commons, healthy food, the skies, the ocean, and peace. Suggestions that emanate from common sense and a life centric perspective. 

If the letter resonates with you, please consider sending it as is, or edited, to your local officials or to anyone else you think may be interested. A link to both a PDF and Word version of the letter are provided at the end. An audio and video reading of the letter are provided as well.

I would like to acknowledge some of the many authors, podcasters, and speakers who have deeply informed my thinking: These include Nate Hagens, Vanessa Andreotti, Iain McGilchrist, Daniel Christian Wahl, Jeremy Lent, Helena Norberg-Hodge, Daniel Schmachtenberger, and Charles Eisenstein, among many others.  

And now…the letter. (To read, click on Page 2 directly below.)

Audio only – (Recommended as it’s far less energy and data consumptive than video) 
Video – 12:58 

To watch or share as video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-E8yFJNpBE

The Global 5G Protest Days, World EHS Day, World Localization Day (WLD), and 24 Hour Peacewave all coincidentally fall out this year in mid-June. In marking these days, I’d like to offer a brief overview of the current digital technology rollout which profoundly impacts us all and is at the heart of each of the three global days of action.  

Technology increasingly affects nearly every aspect of our lives. Our digital footprint extends to all living beings, and throughout Earth, ocean, and skies. 

The proliferation of digital technology has accelerated exponentially in the last two decades. New generations of cellphones now include internet, video streaming, and a host of internet-connected applications. 

Small cells, sensors, cameras, and facial recognition technology permeate cities, and with enough of these, a city is dubbed a so-called “smart city”. Cars and now EVs, chock full of sensors and other radiating features, keep our roadways buzzing with yet more harmful radiation. 

The internet of things (known as the IoT) connects virtually every “thing” possible to the internet – from household appliances and devices to wearables, thermostats, baby monitors, TVs, and smart meters. Connectivity even extends to items such as IoT baby diapers, pills, toothbrushes and the like.  

Conventional farms increasingly rely on technology to monitor crops, soil, pesticides, and fertilizers ignoring the vast knowledge that has been passed down through the generations of how to work regeneratively with the land.

Airplanes, trains, and ships are all equipped with ample technology to keep our minds occupied lest we get lured into a good book, reflection, or conversation with those around us. 

Augmented and virtual reality, the internet of bodies, and smart dust add yet more layers of radiation to living spaces. The term “cloud” that once made us think of the exquisite formations of water vapor in the sky, now calls to mind energy and water guzzling mega farms of computers that store all our data. 

In the early 2000s, the internet was accessed mostly via safe wired connections. But by around 2009 or so, WiFi entered the scene, and everyone rushed to outfit their home with wireless connectivity. Some people held out choosing to stick with safer, faster, more energy efficient and cyber secure wired connections. But those people were in the minority. 

Internationally there were already thousands of studies and hundreds of scientists warning of harms from all this artificial radiation. More and more people were experiencing adverse symptoms or becoming impaired from the plethora of electromagnetic fields – a condition known as Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity or EHS. But industries and governments ignored these warnings choosing instead to bow deeply to the idol of progress. Did they not see that progress for some was bringing suffering to others? 

But technoligizing Earth was not enough. The push was on to connect the Heavens as well. So, tens of thousands of satellites have now been placed in orbit, with hundreds of thousands more in the planning stages.   

But why stop with the cosmos? In what’s known as the internet of underwater things, the IoUT, the intent now is to connect every inch of the vast and deep ocean – Earth’s embryonic waters. 

As radiofrequency doesn’t travel well through water, sonar is used for most underwater communications. Oblivious to all the marine animals that communicate and forage via sonar, communicating infrastructure such as sensors, robots and underwater vehicles are being placed throughout the ocean to enable drilling, mining, data gathering, monitoring, and war.  

But there’s more to an all-things-connected world, AI and emerging artificial general intelligence, AGI. Our harvested data provides fodder for AI which in turn empowers info, cyber, and robotic warfare, as well as surveillance. 

We are told an all-things-connected world will gather data to combat global warming. We are told it will boost more trade and enable 21^st century classrooms and warfare.  But have we been asked if this is what we really want? 

Other drawbacks and the way forward

Many indigenous tribes and religious traditions consider impacts of their actions for at least seven generations into the future – 150 years. But as we hurtle along blindly digitalizing our world, we have given virtually no thought to current or future externalities. 

Our tech Tsunami is impacting the health of all living beings. It has largely removed our privacy and freedom and has rendered us vulnerable to hacking and cyber-attacks. So-called renewables, EVs, 5G, and the internet of things, though purported to address global warming, are in fact increasing our use of fossil fuels yearly. Our digital footprint includes a supply chain and disposal network of toxins and inhumane working conditions in mines, factories, and e-waste facilities. And what’s become increasingly obvious is that technology has profoundly impacted our interpersonal relationships – how we and our children relate with one another. 

An often-overlooked aspect is that digital technology is an exponentializer. When added to other systems it increases their speed, scope, and impact, tragically enabling humans to pillage Earth ever more efficiently. And yes, tech can go both ways, increasing positive endeavors as well. And with wisdom and the utmost intention and restraint, perhaps, we could maximize the benefits while avoiding the harms. But unfortunately, that’s not likely to happen until our civilization pivots to a more values-based trajectory.

Are we disconnected in a connected world?

Perhaps the greatest single threat from technology is that it’s sucking us into a mindset and addictive way of life where we feel disconnected from one another and from the rest of the animate world. Instead of filling our days with family, friends, community, and nature, people now spend most of their time imprisoned in a made-to-order reality enabled by their devices. So much is lost in the abyss of the social media silos used by companies to evoke strong emotions and one-dimensional thinking, and to keep us online for shareholder profits. 

But we can change… by taking manageable steps to reduce our dependence on technology. Perhaps one evening a week can be cellphone free night. Consider a wired landline phone for extended calls. If still using WiFi, turn off the router to sleep more peacefully, or better yet, switch to wired connections. 

But even more powerful than changes in our use of technology is reinhabiting the real world – falling back in love with life. Being fully present in all our encounters – listening deeply to what others say, perceiving the nuances of their voice, expressions, and gestures. Allowing tears of grief to cleanse our minds and hearts from the pain we may feel for how our way of life has impacted Earth. Treasuring and bearing witness to the magnificence of the natural world and the infinite interconnectedness, complexity, and wisdom that allowed life to emerge. Ubuntu. I am because we are. 

With presence filling our minds and hearts, there will be little room left for the predatorial nature of technology; and we can once again, reclaim our lives – bit by bit. Step by step. Enjoy the journey back home.