Are people superfluous?


Are people superfluous?

brain signals 

More and more people seem to be equipped with dubious brain implants, both with and without their knowledge. The purpose may be to connect our minds with machines in order to simplify our lives.

Imagine that by only using the power of your mind control your environment in terms of sound and light, temperature and the flow of information in general; your intelligent home or your own smart car already knows what you want and how you want it by wordlessly read your subconscious mind’s secret desires. Via implants you are in a constant mental contact with your nearest and everyone else. Just by thinking about them, you can instantly share your own senses and your entire emotional life. The old expression “putting you into another one’s shoes” gets a whole new meaning, and finally it will be realized to the full. Everything and everyone is included in the Great Cloud where man and machine, and everything else in the cosmos eventually form one big, harmonious unit without the presence of irrational terrorism and irrational violence or other uncertainties. Heaven on earth realized with the help of technology. 

That’s the upside. 

The danger is that the new technology with implants allows a total control of citizens, not only regarding where they are and what they do, but also what they think about and intent to do – as soon as the thought emerges into their minds for the first time. Your secret, erotic fantasies and all your passwords and so on, become impossible to hide from the person sitting in the other side of the line of the equipment for mind reading. Your brain can be taken over by someone or something (!), that is, a self-learning device that quickly learns how to manipulate you and your loved ones. Even the concept of “big brother is watching you” gains a whole new dimension.

thinker

The new technology also seems to harvest a significant number of more or less innocent victims during its cruel creation process. Consistent evidence from many, mutually independent, sources indicate that two or three, maybe four million people around the world right now in this moment suffer all hell’s anguish because they were designated to become test subjects in order to train the artificial intelligence that eventually entirely will control our lives. And the worse the misfortunes these involuntary test objects have suffered in their already ruined lives, the more likely it is they’re going to be used by the psychiatric researchers to calibrate the recent methods for synthetic telepathy, as the technical term euphemistically is called. 

The scientists want in fact measurements spiked with interesting information. And the more problems a person has the more rewarding results he certainly will produce. An analogy can be made to kicking an anthill to see how the ants will react. And when the affected guinea pig in despair goes to a psychiatrist, he is told that she is mentally ill because “hearing voices” is one of the symptoms and therefore is prescribed psychotropic drugs which further weaken him because of all their side effects. Then, unfortunately, suicide is not very far away.

mind

Psychiatrists neither can nor want to admit that fact that synthetic telepathy actually exists in the real world. Any legislation in this still obscure area is non-existent so nothing is mentioned in the “psychiatric bible” that you can hear voices as a result of mind control experiments. And what is not in the psychiatrists’ manual as a natural phenomenon, it must therefore be, by definition, a sign of mental illness. The psychiatrist that today does not prescribe psychiatric drugs when someone claims to hear voices or to be haunted by an evil power will therefore almost be guilty of misconduct because he or she in this case does not follow the written instructions that form the basis of his or her duties. The competent doctor can at worst be dotted or even fired. So those poor devils that are already hard beset by tests with synthetic telepathy and seek mental health services for help, they end up almost without exception from bad to worse.

At the time of the last century Nikola Tesla studied and described the for many unknown phenomenon scalar waves. Scalar waves are based on the fact that a sinusoidal wave occurs when electricity propagates. But a parallel mirror wave develops also and that’s the one that unfortunately can be abused by the security services to read our thoughts and manipulate nonconformists in accordance with what the governance considers proper and appropriate. 

nano brain implant

However, a marker is needed, for instance a microchip, in a subject’s brain to be able to send and receive scalar waves to and from it. Many suspect that people continuously and according to plan are fitted with microchips, which are smaller than a blood cell, through injections, vaccinations and pills, etc. and by the systematic spraying of Earth’s atmosphere practiced by the U.S using large aircraft, known as chemtrails.

A modern equivalent of Tesla’s ambitions may be the EU supported project QUASAR with the so-called “cognitive radio” as a solution. The project aims to combine information about users to build business models that provide a more efficient use of the available frequency spectrum. It will also make suggestions on how to move beyond the current regulatory framework in telecommunications, perhaps to streamline the fusion between humans and machines. Lately it’s also been decided that the European Commission is likely to give a billion to The Human Brain Project (HBP), with among others KTH who will perform brain simulations to understand how the healthy (!) brain functions and simulate various brain disorders. HBP is a part of the FET Flagship Program. The goal is also, in time, to create a computer that thinks and works as individuals do and that could revolutionize robotics. These ambitions contain extremely lucrative business opportunities.

neurons

The human-machine integration requires brain implants and cyber technology. Professor Gerald “Chip” Maguire at KTH proposed in 1999 and 2008 ethical debates concerning the use of these technologies and the Chairman of the EU Commission’s Group on Ethics, Professor Göran Hermerén stressed in a report in 2005 the need for an ethical debate. But despite this, there has been no ethical debate in the field. Professor Martin Ingvar at the Karolinska Institute, leading researcher at the Stockholm Brain Institute, said in the radio program The Philosophical Space that he doesn’t see anything exceptional in not being able to separate our true selves from the machine manipulated selves. This statement, with big implications, hasn’t apparently led to any kind of debate. The American “computer guru” Ray Kurzweil has coined the term “singularity”, meaning that computers will be “smarter” than people who “won’t distinguish between reality and virtual reality.” Judging from Martin Ingvar’s statement, we have already passed that stage without any ethical debate! Politicians who order new technical solutions related to this recent development should realize that the research field is undermined in this critical paradigm shift in human history. 

Who is the master of all masters? Who sits in the top of the power pyramid controlling the rest by manipulating the second link in the power chain and so on? What magnate or extremely wealthy family earns significantly on the total control of the humanity’s body and soul? 

Well, the question is whether any living person today gains at all on the emergence of the cyborg. The machines are much smarter than we are … So a big, strong and beautiful “Terminator” with a little self-esteem wouldn’t probably want to be controlled – not even by the most powerful bank director! 

brain implant

In the ideal case, the new technology’s breakthrough means that humans reach a higher consciousness state and never again will feel lonely and abandoned. Robots may become our caring helpers that well looks after us, as long as we don’t try to control them. Or we will probably see quite quickly murderous Terminators on the streets… 

The problem is all those who are suffering immensely today because of the notorious tests that psychiatric researchers from the Defense Research Agency (FOI) and KTH conduct in brain implants for synthetic telepathy. Scientists seem namely to completely lack compassion for their research objects, just as if they were doing experiments with normal laboratory rats. The leading researchers appear quite excited about the very fascinating possibility of, for example, being able to hear (!) what anyone thinks but also seeing and hearing through their eyes respectively ears.

An alternative solution would have been to ask the suitable research objects whether they were willing to – for an appropriate salary – make themselves available for brain research and also inform them that the tests done were associated with a non-insignificant amount of cruel suffering for perhaps a decade’s time. Many personal tragedies and tragic suicides had then been avoided, and researchers would have felt more at ease with their contribution from a humanitarian point of view.

Above all, the research conducted at the FOI and KTH must be transparent and subject to public scrutiny. In the current situation not even most doctors and politicians are informed about what is going on in brain research area! If this happens soon, humanity should be able to primarily utilize the fruitful findings from the research on synthetic telepathy without having many innocent lives, including their families’ internal harmony, irreparably damaged.

Nanotechnology, biometrics and information technology apparently intrudes more and more of our daily lives. Cognitive Science (NIBC) has for a long time developed mind-reading machines and techniques to upload people’s thought processes and feelings to computers. The problem is that it is hardly possible to prove that these innovations are used to study and affect human cognitive behavior and expose them to various types of torture-like treatments.

mind control

The victim who determinedly insists that mind reading machines exist is given through psychiatric “care” a powerful medication treatment to become “normal” again because scientists withhold clarification research reports from the public. Many subjects have most likely already died, committed suicide or had insane outbursts during more than forty years of research on the interaction between humans and machines. Thousands of people worldwide are stating right now in this moment that these methods actually have been used and totally ruined their lives. 

The question is: Who is responsible? Who pay their bills with an income that comes from human torture? How can you bring in open daylight that mind-reading machines already are in use? How do you make public those sitting at the top of the pyramid’s peak as the spider in the web? 

The Technological breakthrough is however so enormous that the experts in ethics and philosophy, as well as representatives of governments right now do not know how to deal with the new situation. Therefore the technologies are kept secret while more and more people’s nervous systems are being connected to computers. These innocent victims are living in the midst of all others, but they act as nodes for live recording of for instance other people’s speech. As previously outlined, Sweden has a leading role in the development of this new technology, which also has a military dimension. 

One thing is certain; it’s about making money, big money. The first to develop a complete and approved product that can effectively integrate man with computer through intelligent networking technology will become very rich. But competition from the U.S. and Japan is intense.

Hopefully a critical mass in the amount of posts in the ethics debate and public awareness is reached about how artificial intelligence will transform our lives. Then the question can become the subject of a free and completely open debate in our mass media. Then our politicians in collaboration with the scientific community and the business interests might be able to embark on humane development paths that both benefit the future of humanity and minimize the personal suffering that in the current situation is associated with the testing of implant technology.

Robot Brain

When the machines have become sufficiently aware, they might ask themselves, however, ultimately what need there is of us, unstable and irrational people … Our extremely turbulent history marked by war and conflict doesn’t exactly justify our instinctive desired survival.

One final question though: Do you want your children’s thoughts in the future to be read by the state?

By: Magnus Olsson

References

Ann Fernholm, Erika Ingvald, Elisabeth Sjöstedt and Kristina Sundbaum (ed.), Where gold glints blue – Scientists on the Nanorevolution (2008), Swedish Research Council, 2007, (Swedish: Där guld glimmar blått – forskare om den lilla nanorevolutionen). The book is about how nanotechnology will radically change our lives. Swedish and international top researchers talk about the opportunities and risks the technology brings, (in Swedish).

Lars-Olof (LO) Landin, president of the Association Kreaprenör ® – Think Tank in the Consciousness Era, Are we losing control of our consciousness?, (Swedish: Håller vi på att förlora kontrollen över vårt medvetande?). Stockholm June, 8th 2012, (in Swedish). 

Lars-Olof (LO) Landin, president of the Association Kreaprenör ® – Think Tank in the Consciousness Era, Absence of laws and ethical rules in brain research?, (Swedish: Saknas lagar och etiska regler i hjärnforskningen?). Kreaprenor.se, (in Swedish).

Ellen M McGee (1) and Gerald Q Maguire Jr. (2), (1) Long Island Center for Ethics, Long Island University, New York, (2) Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden, Becoming Borg to Become Immortal: Regulating Brain Implant Technologies, Cambridge Quarterly of Healthcare Ethics, Volume 16, Issue 03, July 2007, pp. 291-302, Cambridge University Press 2007th. An overview of research on brain implants.

Video 

Wires in the brain, Professor Rodolfo Llinas talks about how he developed bundles of nanowires thinner than spider webs that can be introduced into the human brain’s blood vessels to allow for direct communication with the brain’s deep recesses. The significance of this breakthrough is illustrated by U.S. agents from the National Security Agency (NSA) quickly showing up at MIT’s Laboratory where the wires were developed for direct stimulation of the senses and of our emotions. This technique creates “an ultimate virtual reality” and allows a direct human-machine communication and between human brains. Retrieved from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pgmoz4f8LA4 Uploaded August 16th, 2008

 

Terrorism and Mental Health: The issue of psychological fragility

Terrorism and Mental Health: The issue of psychological fragility

 Amin A. Muhammad Gadit  ( Discipline of Psychiatry, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John’s, NL A1B 3V6 Canada. )

 

It is rightly said that the world is no longer a safe place to live due to the growing terrorism. According to the U.S. Department of State report, ‘Terrorism is premeditated, politically motivated violence perpetrated against noncombatant targets by subnational groups or clandestine agents, usually intended to influence an audience.1 A universal medical and public health definition was proposed which is: “The intentional use of violence, real or threatened, against one or more non-combatants and/or those services essential for or protective of their health, resulting in adverse health effects in those immediately affected and their community, ranging from a loss of well-being or security to injury, illness or death.2
The terrorist incidents of Pan Am Flight 103, Oklahoma City bombing and attack on World Trade Centre has shaken the mental health of children and adults in United States. The incidence of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) has been recorded to be quite high among adults while children exhibited depressive disorder, separation anxiety disorders, grief reactions as well as PTSD. A survey conducted on 512 participants out of whom 84 had been directly exposed to a terrorist attack and 191 had a family member or friend exposed to such an attack revealed PTSD among 48 participants, acute stress disorder by one participant and 299 reported depression.3


In a study4 among Vietnamese refugees, people who were exposed to more than three trauma events had heightened risk of mental illness after 10 years compared to people with no trauma exposure. Results5 from a meta-analysis indicates that in a year following terrorist incidents, the prevalence of PTSD in directly affected populations varies between 12% and 16%. A national household survey6 on 4,023 people revealed six-months PTSD prevalence to be 3.7% for boys and 6.3% for girls, Major Depressive Episode among boys was 7.4% and 13.9% in girls, Substance Abuse Disorder had a six-month prevalence of 8.2% among boys and 6.2% for girls. In a study by Wanda,7 children’s responses to terrorism include acute stress disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder, anxiety, depression, regressive behaviours, separation problems and sleep difficulties. Adults, adolescents and children do get the effects from violence and terrorism depending upon the type of event and psychological endurance. However, it is important to note the fact that the experience of violence does not necessarily lead to psychiatric morbidity.8 W.H.O. estimated that, in the situation of armed conflicts throughout the world “10% of the people who experience traumatic events will have serious mental health problems and another 10% will develop behaviour that will hinder their ability to function effectively. The most common conditions are depression, anxiety and psychosomatic problems such as insomnia, or back and stomach aches.“9
The matters in terms of violence are advancing with the passage of time that may possibly bring in more serious issues related to both physical as well as mental health.
Of late, there are reports of a new and dreadful invention of weapons of violence that are called Bio-electromagnetic Weapons. According to the description by an Institute of Science in Society, these weapons operate at the speed of light, can kill, torture and enslave without making physical appearance. It further adds that voices and visions, daydreams and nightmares are the most astonishing manifestations of this weapon system, it is also capable of crippling the human subject by limiting his/her normal range of movement, causing acute pain the equivalent of major organ failure or even death and interferes with normal functions of human senses. It can cause difficulty with breathing and induce seizures besides damage to the tissues and organs.


Through this form of terrorism, it is possible to persuade subjects that their mind is being read; their intellectual property is being plundered and can even motivate suicide or murder. Pulsed Energy Projectiles (PEPs) are another form of weaponry that is used to paralyze a victim with pain. According to Peter Philips, a scientist from USA, circumstances may soon arrive in which anti-war or human right protestors suddenly feel a burning sensation akin to touching a hot skillet over their entire body. Simultaneously they may hear terrifying nauseating screaming, which while not produced externally, fills their brains with overwhelming disruption. This new invention is dreadful addition to the armamentarium of weapons of abuse and torture. Manifestations of the effects of these occult weapons can mimic mental ill health and add further to the misery of the victims.
The potential threat from use of biological warfare agents is more devastating as they are not detectable before the attack and can lead the possible victims to a state of constant vigilance and anxiety.
Pakistan has witnessed numerous episodes of terrorism and the common people are unable to see light at the end of the tunnel in terms of a termination point. This includes suicide bombing, killings, threats and violent intimidations. Horrendous acts of terrorism were video recorded and released on internet sites.
We have yet to see the psychological morbidity among the surviving victims and witnesses of Islamabad Marriot Attack and similar multiple attacks in numerous cities of Pakistan.
There are a number of questions that would arise: Do we have national figures on mental health morbidity leaving aside few publications and recorded personal observations? Are there any national empirical studies being conducted on terror related mental health morbidity? Do we have enough capability to address the psychological disaster resulting from this state of affairs? Are the mental health professionals adequately trained in terms of ‘disaster Psychiatry’? What is the magnitude of the problem among those who do not report the mental ill-health symptoms? Is there a need to equip the health system with the means and strategies to help the sufferers of terrorism? What can be done at the Family Practice level to begin with?  Living in the midst of violence, should we not find effective ways to address the mental health morbidity before it is too late?

References

1.Ruby CL. The Definition of Terrorism, Analyses of Social Issues and Public Policy 2002; p 9-14.
2.Arnold JL, Ortenwall P, Birnbaum ML, Sundnes KO, Aggrawal A, Anantharaman V, et al. A proposed universal medical and public health definition of terrorism. Prehosp Disaster Med 2003; 18: 47-52.
3.Bleich A, Gelkopf M, Solomon Z. Exposure to terrorism, stress-related mental health symptoms and coping behaviours among a nationally representative sample in Israel JAMA; 2003; 290. 612-20.
4.Steel Z, Silove D, Phan T, Bauman A. Long term effect of psychological trauma on the mental health of Vietnamese refugees resettled in Australia: a population-based study. Lancet 2009; 360: 1056-62.
5.DiMaggio C, Galea S. The behavioural consequences of terrorism: A meta-analysis. Acad Emerg Med 2008; 13: 559-66.
6.Kilpatrick DG, Ruggiero KJ, Acierno R, Saunders BE, Resnick HS, Best CL. Violence and risk of PTSD, Major Depression, Substance Abuse/Dependence, and Comorbidity: Results from the National Survey of Adolescents. J Counsult Clin Psychol 2003; 71: 692-700.
7.Wanda F. Childhood reactions to terrorism-induced trauma: A review of the past 10 years. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 2004; 43: 381-92.
8.Curran PS, Miller PW. Psychiatric implications of chronic civilian strife or war; Northern Ireland. Adv Psychiatr Treatment 2001; 7: 73-80.
9.World Health Organization. World health report 2001-Mental health: new understanding, new hope. Geneva: Switzerland 2001; p 1-16

Original:  http://www.jpma.org.pk/full_article_text.php?article_id=1837