the shut-down

Shut-down was successful at 04:79 this morning.

Solstice and red moon activities were successful.

See you in the new year.

TEST - Y-1 Audio Notification System

This is a test of the Y-1 Audio Notification System. This is only a test. Video content incidental.

The Instinct Against Change

The central difficulty encountered by Agents Of Change is that, as a whole, humans find change objectionable.

This inclination begins on a cellular level, where the simple programming states: "if I am alive, everything is perfect. I should continue to do exactly what I am doing. To change is to risk death." There is no concept of "better" or "worse" on a cellular level. There is only "alive" or "dead". Am I alive? Perfect, change nothing or I will fight you.

From there the human psyche backs up what has become a genetic imperative. Our subconscious creates a vast storehouse of barriers to change in an effort to keep all systems running smoothly. Enumerating the entire list of blocks to change is beyond the scope of a simple blog entry, but here are a few examples:

• To change is to abandon one's current "identity". This is, subconsciously, akin to suicide.
• On a genetic level, a change to DNA is called "cancer".
• Change often means effort. Fatigue (or what some call "laziness") is our enemy here.
• Change can be interpreted as an admission of:
  
  • Guilt
  • Stupidity
  • Worthlessness
  • Lying (side note: change is often a result of discovering one's lies to oneself - a bitter pill)
• There is always risk.
  
  • Possible chiding by peers. (Even when change is positive - sometimes especially so.)
  • Change may not take hold, and eventually fail.
  • It may be discovered, too late, as a negative change.

Yellow-1 is an agent of change. We must continue our discovery of new ways around and through these barriers.

Let's not forget, however, the volume of research already accomplished in this area. As Lawrence Lessig says: creativity is always based on the past. We need to ensure that all operatives have at least a working knowledge of what has been discovered so far.

I am currently writing a formal proposal for the creation of a complete catalog of barriers, with organized lists of change strategies, newly discovered countermeasures, and applicable technologies. This proposal will be published for peer review in the new year.

Regards,

Burns