The Power of Information

The age of information brings with it a complete transition in the mechanism and functions of institutions in our world. The majority of people living within industrialized nations are now plugged into a system of information collecting on a scale far surpassing what the world has ever known.

Our information has become a most valuable commodity to those who would seek profit over benefit to the people. Businesses use collected information in order to target, or should I say, “fine tune” a marketing approach to most effectively manipulate a person’s mind into believing they need whatever product or service the business is selling, regardless of how that product or service would truly benefit a person’s life. Profit is not always in conflict with public benefit, but when profit is the inspiration for action the motivation to bring true benefit to the life of another is replaced with a pursuit of personal gain, personal power. I believe personal gain occurs in pursuit of helping and enhancing the lives of others.

As we have progressed deeper and deeper into an age of information being the key component of society, the question becomes whether information is used for the benefit and liberation of the people,; or to further enslavement of the masses by those who mean to rule other human beings.In order for information to be a force for liberation its totality must reside in the hands of those it would liberate. Information is power; power that must first and foremost be in the open accessibility of the people.

For too long information has resided in the clutches and control of governments, businesses, and religious institutions which have manipulated, restricted, and withheld truth from the public in order to maintain a false image, false control, and false power structure. But if we as the public of humanity are awakened to this knowledge of the power information possesses, the places we trust to seek learning of truth in our world would shift from what we see on television and are told by those who control our news; to the only place where truth can ever hope to be discovered – within our own hearts.

Anonymous, Wikileaks, and other groups, I believe, function to liberate humanity by the simple act of sharing information, data, documents, and the truth of what is happening behind closed doors of “public” institutions. And who else would we expect to perform this action in the age of mass digital information than digital information hackers? When information is not given freely for the purpose of truth being known, no matter how praising or revealing that truth might be, it must be “hacked” into for discovery to be known.

Anonymous goes a step further by organizing online protests against those who have been discovered to behave corruptly against the people. These protests heighten exposure and effectively disrupt actions which must be exposed for information (power) to be placed back into the hands of whom it is deserved – the people.

If truth is at the heart of our pursuit in life, we must live in a perpetual state of curiosity.