The first time I saw a Computer Generated Image I thought, ”Uh-oh…we’re about to open Pandora’s Box here.” I think it’s worse than anyone could have ever imagined. Oh, airbrushed models is one thing. But Photoshop and other programs like it have the potential of wreaking havoc on an already insane world.
My grandkids liked SnapChat when it first came out. They would send funny pictures of themselves with bunny ears or puppy noses. Then the app became more and more sophisticated and there are several filters that can really alter your appearance. True…anyone with a critical eye can tell the photos are filtered, but SnapChat is like the “Fun With Dick and Jane” of photographic manipulation.
I was playing with the app this weekend, trying to come up with something funny to send Little. These were my top picks. I had to laugh at the absurdity of the “what would I look like as a dude” photo. And the one with pink hair was fun. The brooding one with the Barbra Streisand nose was intriguing. But the one of the little girl kind of twisted my heart a little.
Speaking of things not being what they seem, have you been reading about these people who think the earth is flat? Like…really. They’re all over the world. They have conventions and t-shirts and everything. This isn’t fairly innocuous stuff like “Furries” or “Comic Con” or “CosPlay”. These are real people driving cars and voting. And that’s scary as sh…I mean…stuff!
My great uncle totally believed the lunar landing never happened. He says it was all done in a studio because there was no possible way people could actually get to and then walk on the moon. Ok. I can see how he got there in his thinking. He was born at the turn of the century. He witnessed a lot of innovation over his lifetime. He was of a more skeptical generation and from the hills of West Virginia. He was a hard worker and a very good man with no secondary education.
I don’t think we are necessarily talking about uneducated people when we examine the “flat earthers”. It makes me want to smack my forehead and go screaming into the night. I mean…ok, if the world is flat, where is the edge? At what point does it just stop? What keeps the oceans from flowing over the edge? Is there a big wall around it? How do they explain time zones and why it’s night in Paris and daytime in New York…at the same moment? I read an interview with one man who says it’s not like that. He says the world is actually a dome, like in the movie “The Truman Show”.
I don’t understand how people can dispute that base knowledge after over 2000 years of study. It’s not something simple like finding out coconut oil isn’t good for you after all. This is fundamental scientific belief that goes well beyond proving the facts. Conspiracy theorists have been around longer than computers, but the Internet makes it far too easy for such theories to take root and spread like an uncontrolled disease.
I don’t know…maybe my dad was right. Maybe computers and the Internet ARE going to be the end of civilization as we know it.
This is the kind of stuff that keeps me up at night.
❤️
“Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body.”
Ephesians 4:25 NIV
There’s a documentary on NetFlix entitled “Behind the Curve” which is about people who seriously believe in a flat earth. Saaaay whaaaat??? My first thought was satire, it had to be satire. But, no! These people are serious flatearthers. I shake my head. Anyway, I enjoy your articles. Some have been a lifeline. Honestly. I’ve gone through some major shit that I never ever dreamed I’d go through. Things that shook my faith to its core…being so angry with God, that I didn’t realize I could get that angry. But I’m still here, even though I’m still pissed off at God. I can’t go to Scripture right now, but I CAN and DO read articles that help me sort through things. You have helped me from sinking in a pit. So, please know that somewhere out there is a mama (me) who is reading your Facebook posts and finding solice and hope.
Oh, Annie…where to begin? First, thank you so much for your kind words. You have no idea what it means to me to hear things like this. I am humbled that my writing has made a difference to you. I know you are angry at God. I can really, really understand that. The thing about our God is…He doesn’t care if you’re mad at Him. He’s bigger than your anger. He will wait for you…take as long as you need, dear one. I’m here too if you need someone to talk to. ❤️
Thank you for your caring, sweet words. I’d love to talk to you, sitting at my table, drinking coffee together. I’m still struggling/wrestling with God. He’s taking me down a path I don’t want to walk. And get this…if I get to the point where I say enough, I’m done. I no longer want you in my life…then I get a forever sentence in hell. However, I’m still hanging on to a shred of hope. I’m not yet ready to reject God. I have to believe that somehow, this will all make sense when I look back and see how all the pieces fit together. I have to hang on to that shred of hope. In the meantime, though, the struggle is hard. I question EVERYTHING. Thanks for caring. Thanks for your blogs. And if you’re ever close to Dayton, OH, let me know. You and Mr. FixIt are welcome to stop in and I’ll put the coffee pot on.
There WILL be a time when it all makes sense. And the hard part about that is, it may not be here. It may have to wait till heaven for the answers/enlightenment. One of the things I struggle with…and I think a lot of people struggle with is….having the faith to let go of the outcome and accept what IS in each moment. Even when it’s hard and there are struggles. Sometimes the breakdown comes before the breakthrough and if we quit, we could miss out on the whole thing. Dayton’s not all that far and I usually come through there at least once a year. We’ll sit and have coffee sometime! ?