A moral innovation for this digital age
For a humanist and liberal future, free of totalitarian chains.
This call is for you, people of goodwill. Anywhere you may hide.
HERE IS a moral innovation rising at the dawn of this digital age, to push it in a humanist and liberal direction, free of totalitarian chains.
HERE IS a symbol that can unite, providing simple ethical common ground and a vision for future societies that is compatible with the beliefs that many, religious or not, already hold, and may be open to supporting.
HERE IS a north star to follow for designing new social and economic systems and artificial minds, which can keep us free, safe, and dignified in this millennium.
HERE IS a bridge between faith and reason, both weak today. A non-dogmatic dogma, a sacred scripture that gracefully desecrates itself, a philosophy that allows space for God without mentioning it, a mystical message whose value and necessity can be intellectually justified.
HERE IS a new gnostic tradition that is rooted in ancient wisdom but projected to the future, in pursuit of material and spiritual progress, sustainability, and world peace.
HERE IS a wall against barbarians and oppressors.
HERE IS a tool for a non-violent cultural (r)evolution from below.
HERE IS the spirit of the law within a community of people of goodwill, to grow and evolve into a global decentralized organization, one that can have a real impact on societies and survive authoritarian regimes.
HERE IS a stone, from which contemplation a new civilization that is fit to survive and prosper in this digital age can rise.
This symbol is called 2kTenCom (Ten Commandments for the Digital Millennium). They came to me one night in 2015, through dictation.
They may look simple, and some commandments unoriginal, but there is depth in each of them and in the ways they interact.
Why do we need this?
The technology we are evolving can either liberate or enslave us. It will depend on the dominant culture. The current one in the West (resulting from the twisted alliance between the corporate/capitalist establishment and the postmodern “woke” radical left), and the likely reaction to it (rise of the far right, facilitated by economic crisis and overall decadence), both lead to new chains, maybe more subtle than in the past but much more pervasive and hard to escape.
The risk we are facing in this century (and beyond) is worse than illiberal regimes: it’s the "insectification" of humankind, as to say the loss of value, agency, rights, and dignity of individuals within a centralized system that enforces and controls behaviors in real-time, at a granular level and in automatic via AI, and penalizes or crushes those who don’t conform, maybe just for using the wrong word in private. That’s the type of mass surveillance system China is building (and already operating to a wide extent), that’s where the West is rapidly heading, with political correctness serving as Orwellian newspeak.
As things stand, I see the end of the free world as likely and also the potential for the collapse of our civilization and for crimes against humanity that could make those committed in the past century look pale in comparison…
Can you see anything pointing to a way out from the increasingly oppressive culture and system we live in and providing an alternative that speaks to our times and can unite people? I don’t. Nothing is as radical as the 2kTenCom in trying to push this digital age in a humanist and liberal direction.
A message for all
I hope it’s clear from how I introduced this “moral innovation” that I am not trying to convert, but rather to inspire. The 2kTenCom can be embraced and supported by people holding a broad spectrum of beliefs. They subtly imply the presence of an intelligent creator, therefore, even if they make no mention to God, they revive God from the Nietzschean grave. As we dive deeper in this digital age, it will become evident why…
What they exclude is extremism, violence, hate, greed, people who are obsessed with words, intoxicated with their egos, feeling as belonging to a superior group, forcing others to bow to their ideology, and demonizing those who don’t conform. If we let such people rule in this century a dystopian future is almost guaranteed.
With the technology we are evolving, we can and should create societies that serve people better, as it allows us to assign, measure, and exchange value in previously unthinkable ways.
Money will always be part of the equation but does it necessarily need to keep being our only horizon and the ultimate judge of the fitness of our values? Is it wise and sustainable for the environment to keep pursuing endless growth of production and consumption? Does our right to a life of dignity need to keep depending on having a stable job in an age in which jobs are not stable and machines are rapidly devaluing or erasing most human professions? These are crucial questions for our destiny, also as a species. Not many are asking them, or pointing at solutions. I am doing it.
To build (and perhaps to even imagine) systems that work better for humans we need a strong ideology that pushes in that direction. The 2kTenCom could serve as that ideology, or perhaps inspire it. In their simplicity, they provide a moral compass both for individuals and for communities and a vision for future societies to pursue.
To stay free and dignified in this digital age people have to come together around a common humanist flag, ideally one that can’t be corrupted or destroyed. Divided and isolated as we are today, it won’t take long before we are doomed.
The path I am pointing at is narrow, but novel and non-violent.
Starting a new counterculture
I have called my blog The Odd Gospel because I knew that a Gospel that bridges the wisdom of tradition into this digital millennium was ultimately what I had to express, although I had not clear what was the best way to do it.
I was never keen to play the guru and even less to try to start a new religion. I don’t think it’s the way to go nowadays, and it’s not in my chords to play the type of guru westerners like to have. I am too much of an Italian funny guy for that and as most Italians I am fundamentally an anarchist.
While I am mostly known as a visual artist my mind is more the one of a writer, so in the end I decided to spread the gnostic knowledge I have for this digital age, of which the 2kTenCom are just part, through fiction, in a way that can be entertaining and address issues that many people today feel strongly about.
So the Gospel of Demian project was born. a sci-fi novel/saga of biblical inspiration, meant to inspire a counterculture that can help us stay free and dignified in this digital age.
The first tale I have released, A New Deal between Men and Women is available here, free for all, without even need of registering, both in English and in Italian, and in multiple formats (blog post, ebook, pdf).
I hope to find a community of supporters along the way, as I write and release the tales from the Gospel of Demian. I am confident to have achieved it with the first tale, called A New Deal between Men and Women, which is a monumental red pill that is highly controversial today and at risk of censorship.
Support Barabeke
At this stage, the best support you can give is to collect my art. That would help me keep going and focus on this mission.
I invite you to check this overview of my NFT art & collections, or visit my Art Sanctuary in 3D (it works also on mobile and VR). There, you will find an additional piece of the puzzle… See a preview in the video below.
Thanks for your attention. Blessed be those who will give this mission of cultural transformation a chance.
Barabeke
Counterculture
👽 Gospel Of Demian, chapter 1: “A New Deal between Men and Women”.
🌈 2kTenCom: the Ten Commandments for the Digital Millennium.
🤖 Neo Genesis. The cosmological foundation of the 2kTenCom.
Barabeke’s community service
☯️ Intuitive consultation with Barabeke. No-fee/free crypto offering based.
Support Barabeke
🗿 Collect Barabeke’s NFT art. Follow the link for an overview of it.
🌻 Crowdfund the development of the Gospel Of Demian on gofundme.
🙏 If you benefit from an intuitive consultation with Barabeke, be generous or at least fair with your offering.
Connect
💬 Reach out to Barabeke via email, Twitter or Telegram.
🪦 The Catacombs Telegram group, the place for supporters (or critics) of the Gospel Of Demian to share their opinions, suggestions, ask questions, or criticize freely. What you bring to the table may have an influence and become literature.