Epistle to bored apes owners
On the doom that lies ahead and how their ape could help save the day
The temple is holy because it is not for sale
― Ezra Pound, The Cantos
Howdy bored ape owners,
what you hodl is vacuous and yet worth
733 million dollars spread between 6394 of you
makes you cool like driving your own custom lambo
except you own a jpeg of an ape and not a lambo
and there are no hot chicks around you chasing a ride
but celebs have it, it must be good,
may project some aura of celebsdoom onto you
surely elevate you to aristocryptotwittertocracy
which can grant you a steady flow
of congratulating spam bots and GM salutes
plus exclusive access to BAYC bathroom
where you can “draw, scrawl, or write expletives”
a promised land whose creators are “pretty sure
it's going to be full of dicks”.
I don’t underestimate the cultural value of what you hodl
it’s iconic of our times to identify as apes
the lowest common denominator of all trendy self-identifications
reminiscent of the beast behind the kaleidoscope of masks
whose essence I already revealed here
for the not blinded ones.
What you hodl is a symbol of regression
humanity back to apes when Prometheus calls
when our evolution, cultural and spiritual, is required the most
to avoid this digital age becoming our cage
or our grave
a panopticon mental asylum
for dehumanized souls
deprived of anything graceful, meaningful, and worth
of what can’t be for sale
indoctrinated to be slaves of our weaknesses and desires
to trade our dignity and freedom
for hollow celebrations and instant gratifications
to sacrifice our children on the altar of a hungry electric hysterical Moloch
as roasted brains salad dressed with mutilated genitals (recipe here).
Can’t you see the chains coming?
The crypto dream of decentralization and self-sovereignty is fading
CBDC (Central Bank Digital Currency) will be imposed
nothing a civilization of bored apes can resist
or can even think of resisting
unless it’s fashionable and harmless to do so
(neither of which will be the case).
Weak and poisoned and divided as we are
groomed by the system to be so
we stand no chance
to avoid the chains that are falling on us
total control and AI-driven manipulation are the destiny
of digitally stupefied and atomized humans
more detached from their nature
then apes caged inside a zoo.
The only hope to escape those chains
is a cultural evolution in a humanist and liberal direction.
That can make our miraculous digital machines serve us
instead of us ending up being their worthless slaves.
Such transformation is nowhere on the horizon
we are moving fast toward a new and possibly inescapable doom.
But I happen to have something that could save the day
and keep us free and dignified in this digital age.
That Lady from the Underworld
whose name is NOT FOR SALE
comes with an annunciation:
a new temple has to be built in this century
a temple that can contain many temples.
Under its roof, people from all faiths can find shelter
from the insanity of barbarians and oppressors
and unite to replace the dominant culture
in a non-violent fashion.
The culture we need is encapsulated in the 2kTenCom
short for Ten Commandments for the Digital Millennium
they came to me one night back in 2015
and while I am rather skeptic
their beauty and depth and timing
and the growing realization that they can serve
as stand-alone inclusive culture excluding the extremes,
spirit of the law for future societies,
and ethical blueprint for new systems and artificial minds
convinced me that evangelizing them
planting this seed
is the greatest act I can do as an artist
and that it may actually work if supported
or at least bring inspiration and hope.
I don’t aspire to fortune and glory
I know I am on an ungrateful path
and that all doors are closed to me
but since I am doing this for the people
I am asking people to support me
to put me in the conditions to keep functioning as an artist
and work on my mission of cultural evolution
like a fool unavailable to be framed
with art of darkness to light up the path
and the moral strength of one who does not belong.
One ape of yours could keep me going for a while
and give my mission a better chance.
Will one of the 6394 of you be willing
to sacrifice his or her ape on the altar of mankind
by swapping it for my NOT FOR SALE Lady?
If you believe in the potential of the culture I am offering
to find its way upwards from catacombs
to go from odd to cool, from fool to wise
and become a new popular culture
then you believe that this NOT FOR SALE Lady
may be someday more worth than an ape
and since the new culture loves irony
you will be free to sell that Lady
without being excommunicated
with your heroic sacrifice of the ape
remembered and engraved
in funky temples in virtual land.
A new culture rising from NFTs…
How can you not give it a chance?
Don’t you think we need it?
Are you happy with the one we have
making 42% of kids mentally ill?
Shouldn’t we try something?
I have something
its chances may be faint
but I see nothing else that can transform culture
in a way that can keep us free and dignified.
The dominant culture is always a consequence of power
if people found common humanist and liberal ground
a fertile ground that can’t be spoiled or sold
instead of being put one against the other
by lunatic theories pushed on us by Western elites
those elites would have to bow to our culture
and primarily serve people’s interest instead of their own.
We now have a vehicle
we miss power and reach
ape’s power can suffice today
when things are at their oddest
to keep the engine running
and prepare for the ride
as night falls upon us
and the more it gets dark
the more people will jump on board
as tradition alone can’t respond to the challenges
that our digital future holds
not in a way that can unite people
which is what we miss the most
to be able to resist the chains
and find new hope.
If you really want to keep your ape
at least help me keep going in other ways
collect my art
help my star rise
impose my presence
where my presence is unwelcome
help me break the safe spaces
of spoiled adults feeling more victims than children of war
introduce them to their own shadow
and to the real world.
You may lose an ape but find a friend
gain unlimited access to my odd perk
for what is worth
considering that wisdom lies not as much with me
but with the Odd Gospel I bring
that, is worth
more than anything that comes with a price
more than all the deafening fanfares of the ego
that cut a hole in our souls
and fill it with corrosive slime and dirt
and most definitely
more than all bored apes in the world.
Sacrifice that ape!
Give a chance to the human race!
Blessings,
Barabeke
Counterculture
☀️ Genesis: Similar in form to Genesis 1 from the Bible, yet a very different story... Prelude to Return to Eden, a modern epic providing new myths to help humanity survive and prosper in this digital age. Also available in Italian.
🤖 Gospel Of Demian, chapter 1: “A New Deal between Men and Women”. Warning: it may contain a total demolition of feminism and the woke left. Also available in Italian.
🌈 2kTenCom: the Ten Commandments for the Digital Millennium. A spiritual message received through dictation back in 2015.
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