Apocalyptic Intelligence, or A.I.
Or Why Are We So Obsessed With Humanity's End?
There is a doom bell ringing throughout the lands, hearkening the end of times. Whether it’s LinkedIn posts spitting fear spirals around job loss and a propped-up economy or podcasts discussing the occult and A.I. as strange bedfellows, we are circling the book of Revelation once again. But this time it feels much more widespread, being intrinsically tied to the likes of Peter Thiel and his Silicon Valley cronies. These apocalyptic cults have been around since the beginning of civilization, constantly predicting that at some point soon we are all gonna die. I don’t disagree with that, but this idea that there will be a mass culling through some sort of “godlike” interference doesn’t resonate. We humans have proven ignorant enough on our own to not need a supernatural occurrence to do widespread damage. Whether it’s nuclear bombs, manufactured diseases, or environmental destruction, the human species needs no help in setting their doom clock. And these days the news cycle and social media feeds are filled to the brim with this hopeless despair.
The real question is how we reframe it. Maybe it’s looking at the number of humans on the planet right now and comparing it to how many humans were here one hundred years ago. Statistically speaking we have over 8 billion humans covering the Earth. Back in 1925 we had 2 billion humans dancing it up in the speakeasies after having come out of the war to end all wars. Unfortunately the die was cast for the sequel that would kick off in about fifteen years from then with Germany invading Poland. Are we heading towards another ill-conceived ego trip driven by greed and human stupidity? Probably. Do we have to fulfill this prophecy? Not if we can find a way to detach ourselves from the idiocracy that has entangled us in a constant conflict embroilment which will not solve anything. Sadly, policy will not fix this. The current state of leadership has been lost to its own enrichment, stripping our society for parts while powering a future that desires to stand against the tsunami of cycles. All things must die in order to be reborn.
But what is this oncoming death? If it were up to Peter Thiel he would have us be preparing for the anti-christ. In a recent interview he seemed quite happy to hasten our demise to bring about the coming of the seven-headed beast and its accompanying harlot. There is a deluge of apocalyptic talk, especially coming from the Silicon Valley folks, as they discuss how AI will be a harbinger that wipes the slate clean. So far it’s become pretty good at polluting the internet with a ton of slop while creating greater divides amongst the population. I recently saw an account doing a reaction video to something clearly created by Sora2 about how the protestors are all being paid. The guy reacting was older and clearly believed what he was watching was real. This is an issue, and perhaps part of what will fulfill the Pluto returns prediction that our American nation has entered. Astrology aside, everything feels like we are in the wrong timeline. When we have a president posting videos of fighter jets dropping poop on protesters it feels like America has leaned fully into its childish phase.
Either way, we are in need of a reframing. This country, like every country, has to go through its growing pains. Apocalyptic narratives never are about the complete destruction of anything, but instead focused on a rebirth. There is something ironic in it all as our pop culture is so focused on the Book of Revelation being this prophetic narrative that brings about a supernatural second coming when in fact it was originally written as political propaganda. The number 666 is actually a different numerical spelling for Nero, the Roman emperor at the time, and is also known as 616. Personally I think 666 sounds better, plus it adds up to 18 which reduces to 9 which is the Hermit(ic) card of the Tarot. It is the Yod in the Tetragrammaton which sparks the new beginning through will and the element of Fire. On the other hand, 616 becomes 13 which is Death and then reduces to 4 which is the Emperor. Brings it back again full circle. I’d rather have the Hermit than the Emperor leading us into the next phase!
Either way, back from that detour to discuss the current transition where major voices within both industry and government are more than hinting at a coming apocalypse. To think that one hundred years ago we were deep in the roaring twenties and had little foresight to the coming fascism that was bubbling beneath the surface. What’s different is that one hundred years later we are now more than ever aware of a similar trend, yet feel like the powers that be are being controlled by strange demonic forces. Something also feels quite comedic about it. Watching Sam Altman fry-voice his way through interviews saying that AGI is coming and then back-pedaling while pushing his new sexbot that will drop in December is bizarre and laughable. To think that our forefathers, including the luminous Benjamin Franklin, were truly brilliant thinkers and doers pointing America towards a new Atlantis. And here we are with the extremely wealthy leading the flock, desperate to avoid dying and doing everything to cling to every last gasp this country has afforded them while the rest worry about their next paycheck.
All of that said, I see a light at the end of the tunnel. This is not an apocalypse nor is it an AI revolution. It is a reckoning and one that is coming from within. The darkness is not what is being forced upon us, but it is the mirror to which we must look. There is a lot of healing to be done, and through that a lot of pain to face. It is the saying “solve et coagula” that will guide us into the next evolution, not technology. Technology is a wonderful working tool for the magician, but it is not the actual endeavor. Our current endeavor is to fully understand the symbols at hand, instead of still taking their literal meanings while not fully exploring the depths beyond face value.
The task is clear: learn to read symbolically and apply it to both your own evolution on the microcosmic level as well as at the macrocosmic level. We are powerful beings, each and every one of us, and to fall for the oldest trick in the book that neuters us of agency is the game at hand. It’s time to let go of the “apocalyptic” narrative that is pushing fear into everyone’s hearts and minds, allowing for the mass manipulation at the hands of the technocrats. Instead we need to be pushing a new narrative, one that embraces a redemption arc while facing the monsters within. Once we can heal this pain, those who hurt will no longer be able to hurt and we can begin the real work.
I’m going to leave with a quote from Terence McKenna:
“And yet, you can stand back and look at this planet and see we have the money, the power, the medical understanding, the scientific know-how, the love and the community to produce a kind of human paradise. But we are led by the least among us- the least intelligent, the least noble, the least visionary. We are led by the least among us and we do not fight back against the dehumanizing values that are handed down as control icons.”