The Garden and The Gadget | Poetry of Mankh |Axisoflogic.com

“Plant your rows straight and long
Temper them with prayer and song
Mother Earth will make you strong
If you give her loving care”

- David Mallett, from “Garden Song”

When doing research for my recent book Moving Through The Empty Gate Forest, some of which is about the origin of books, I stumbled upon Marshall McLuhan’s book The Gutenberg Galaxy (1962) which, in turn, connected a lot of dots; the most obvious is the 500-year cycle that is still playing out.

Gutenberg's press - circa 1450s - enabled the beginnings of the spread of communications worldwide. Leading the way was the first book, the Bible. The Bible, along with the colonial settlers, made its way to North America, or the lands the Native Peoples already knew as Turtle Island. Before Columbus, the Native Nations, with as many as 6,000 languages, [1] were doing a wonderful job of maintaining the natural habitats ... without books!

For its time, the book's impact was as huge as the computer/Internet. As to the 500-year cycle, from circa 1450s to ... “The first semiconductor transistors in the late 1940s were followed by the silicon-based MOSFET (MOS transistor) and monolithic integrated circuit (IC) chip technologies in the late 1950s, leading to the microprocessor and the microcomputer revolution in the 1970s.” [2]

The Gutenberg printing press with movable metal type preceded the industrial age factory assembly line, the letters thus contributing to the breaking down of community consciousness into individuality, the repetitive efficacy of mechanized compartmentalization at the expense of wholeness. And the consciousness as conveyed via languages would also experience a humongous shift, as individual letters became the stars of the language show:

“The more limited number of characters needed for European languages was an important factor. Gutenberg was the first to create his type pieces from an alloy of lead, tin, and antimony—and these materials remained standard for 550 years.” [3]

The Internet along with social media while bringing many people together in constructive ways, in a wider societal face-to-face and heart-to-heart talk sense has done similar damage as the printing press by accentuating individuality and creating false senses of community. And the factory assembly line has steroid-morphed into semi-robotic warehouse behemoths such as Amazon which, by the way, also got its start selling books. From Gutenberg's printing press to online book sales including e-books to Facebook, the book continues to shape society and ways of thinking, or lack thereof.

perfect storm
The other significant aspect is that the Gutenberg press with subsequent Bible, combined with the Doctrine of Christian Discovery and Dehumanization, [4] plus sailing ships, all changed the world. Even if only historically co-incidental, the combination of Papal bulls, one by Pope Nicholas V on 18 June, 1452 authorizing slavery via domination, and the beginning of mechanized mass-production of books with messages mostly controlled by religious proselytizers, cannot be overlooked nor underestimated.

The parallels of recent and nowadays have more to do with corporate-state technology control mechanisms and the globalized agenda, yet still often flavored with religiosity, as witness NY Governor Hochul's statement from September, 2021:

“... I prayed a lot to God during this time and you know what, God did answer our prayers. He made the smartest men and women, the scientists, the doctors, the researchers — he made them come up with a vaccine. That is from God to us and we must say, 'Thank you, God. Thank you.'" [5]

When staying at hotels or motels when first traveling as a teen and young man, I remember finding it curious that there was always a Bible in the nightstand drawer. Looking back I can say: not a Koran, not a Torah, and certainly not the poems of Rumi or a collection of Native origin-stories, yet a Bible. Nowadays it's more like WiFi access and perhaps surveillance. If the Godly Father was watching out for sins back then, it seems he has turned over the job to Big Brother.

It's not an exact comparison, however, as Gutenberg's press and subsequent Bible was used as a tool to convert many, but not all, of the Native Peoples and Christianity now accounts for approximately one-third of the global population, [6] the Gadget is being used by the corporate-state-technology-complex to control and squelch flows of information, which in effect is squelching respect for all Peoples and for the Earth ― with subtle forms of dehumanization, as many people become more upset about slow Internet speed than, for example, the deliberate starving of Yemeni children or that “Nearly one-third of Americans skipped [health] care in past three months due to costs.” [7] With regard to the persuasiveness of gadgetry, nowadays people can be 'converted' without anyone physically there to shove another culture down their throats.

The cycle is not an exact replay because time and consciousness have changed many things yet with a little study or pondering, I propose that the past can provide some clues as to how to avoid similar tragedies now being perpetrated by control-freak, greedy technocrats crusading for their Gods of Science and Gadget Technology.

Don't get me wrong, I use gadgets, plus I am fond of books as they are silent-speaking companions, conversations with people not in the room and perhaps no longer in a body; books transmit learnings, are stimulating; books, like spice jars, are containers that hold energies for eventual usage. A book is also a record-keeper or a re-cord ... woven with experiences, information, and stories re-minding of one’s roots. And many people find personal guidance and comfort (a key difference from proselytizing) from the Bible. Yet there are “warning” labels.

If we can wisely utilize some of the book knowledge and some of the technology to complement the more essential wise ways of the garden and natural world, we have a better chance of not being ruled by, not being dominated by, the human-made tools and those wielding them.

Inch by inch, row by row
Gonna make this garden grow
All it takes is a rake and a hoe
And a piece of fertile ground

NOTES:
[1] “Tiokasin Ghosthorse, Lakota native American, on intuitive intelligence” 8/26/2019

[2] Computer - see here

[3] Movable type - see here

[4] Original Free Nations - see here

[5] “NY Gov. Hochul says vaccines are 'from God,' sends out her own 'apostles' to push jabs”

[6] Christianity by country - see here.

[7] See here.

Mankh (Walter E. Harris III) is an essayist and resident poet at Axis of Logic. Check out his newest book Moving Through The Empty Gate Forest: inside looking out. In addition to his work as a writer and small press publisher, he travels a holistic mystic pathway staying in touch with Turtle Island. His website is here.

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