Metropolis
I wrote some notes in my diary as I watched the movie Metropolis:
Metropolis is the utopian city of the future. It’s a mega city, with an inner city below ground. It’s a city with a two-tiered system: the haves and the have nots. The haves are the elites, the have nots are the workers. The have nots are the underclass who work below in the city’s infrastructure. These working stiffs look robotic, walking tiredly in sync with their heads down, as they go to and fro from work. In contrast, the elites above live a life of luxury. They hang out in a complex known as the Sons’ Club, with its lecture halls and libraries, its theatres and stadiums. They even have their own Garden of Eden, which they call the Eternal Gardens.
Down in the dark below, the have nots run the Machine. Without the Machine, there would be no Metropolis. The workers must keep up with the needs of the Machine, otherwise it will malfunction. Then the Machine, like Moloch, will devour its victims with smoke and fire. “Death and destruction are never satisfied: Toss the casualties into its mouth, for they must be sacrificed to the belly of the Beast! Broad is the road that leads to destruction: March the survivors into its bowels, for the realm of the dead desires them!”
In the utopian Metropolis above, stands the new Tower of Babel. “The bricks have fallen down, but we will rebuild with dressed stone; the sycamore trees have been felled, but we will replace them with cedars.” Whatever we put our minds to we will accomplish!
In the dystopian Metropolis below, a voice cried out: A Mediator is coming! Prepare His way, make His paths straight! When the King of Metropolis heard this, he was troubled. So he went to visit a sorcerer, a false prophet, who could help him. The two of them crafted a sinister plan to build the man of the future, whom they called the Machine-Man. They said, “No one will be able to distinguish between the Machine-Man and mortals. We shall give the Machine-Man the likeness of a woman. We shall give the Machine-Man her face. We shall use this false woman to deceive man. We shall sow discord between them!”
The voice in the depths cried out again: Listen to the story of Babel: Nimrod, a mighty warrior and hunter of men, captured men and enslaved them. Nimrod, the worthless shepherd, said, “Come! Let us build a tower whose zenith shall reach unto the stars! We will use bricks hardened in the fire, and mortar made from tar. We shall build this famous tower upon the great Babylonian plain.” However, his plans came to nothing. And now, similarly, we find ourselves under the oppression of an evil shepherd! His new world order has been built upon the backs of our blood, sweat and tears. We need a good shepherd, a Mediator, to help us. Wait for Him! He will surely come!
Meanwhile, the sorcerer kidnapped a beautiful young lady. He dragged her into his dingy laboratory. On the back wall of his laboratory was a large pentagram. Under the pentagram sat a robot, which he had created. The sorcerer laid the woman down on a table in the center of the room. He hooked her up to various wires and tubes, all of which were connected to the robot. Like a mad scientist, he opened and closed valves and flicked switches on and off. Then bright rings appeared, moving up and down the body of the robot. As this happened, the flesh of the woman merged with the robot. The two became one: Man and Machine. Biological algorithms merged with digital algorithms. Human consciousness merged with artificial intelligence. “What I have joined together let no man separate,” the sorcerer exclaimed. “I will call her the Queen of Heaven.” He saw what he had made and declared, “It is good! This is humanity plus: Post-humanity. This is transhumanism: Post-evolution. The Age of Human Deconstruction is finally here. Soon, man will no longer have freewill!”
Once again, the voice in the wilderness cried out: Verily, I say unto you: The days of Apocalypse draw nigh! In the Bible it is written: “I saw a Woman sitting upon a scarlet colored Beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. And the Woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet color, having a golden cup in her hand. And upon her forehead was the name written, a mystery: ‘BABYLON THE GREAT, mother of all abominations on the earth.’ And I saw the Woman drunk with the blood of the saints.”
Now it so happened that the King of Metropolis threw himself a birthday party. At his celebration, the Trans-woman danced seductively for him and his guests. Indeed, the Seven Deadly Sins followed her. The King was very pleased with her, and promised to give her whatever she desired. “I want you to give me the heads of my enemies,” she replied.
Upon the seven headed Beast the Spiritual Prostitute swayed her hips hypnotically, seducing the ignorant—both rich and poor. They counted her a saint, though all sins are heaped at her feet. “Look into my all-seeing eye,” the Seductress shrieked! “Join my new religion, join my one world church. But if you refuse to follow me, the King will give me your head.”
However, once the Witch had served her purpose, the King of Metropolis burned her at the stake. “I will have no gods (idols) before me,” he declared. “Now listen to me, all you people” said the King, “you are the living fodder for the Beast-Machine of Metropolis. You smear the Machine-Joints with your own marrow. You feed the Machine with your own flesh. Sacrifice yourselves to Moloch, you fools! Don’t let the Beast-Image starve, you morons! Follow the heart of the Machine! Let your hearts beat as one with the Beast! If the heart of the Beast-System fails, you too will be destroyed! Furthermore, I AM the Beast, the Beast-Machine has been created in my Image, and the Beast with seven heads is my kingdom—the Kingdom of the Beast! The Transcendental-woman gathered all religions together, saying, ‘Let us worship god together.’ But I tell you, your god is here! And now I offer the world my salvation: Take a bite of the Apple, take the Smart-Chip, take the Beast-Mark. If you do: I will abide in you, and you will abide in me. Now, come and follow me!”
Then a voice cried out, saying, “Flee from the midst of Babylon, and each of you save your life! Do not perish in her punishment, for this is the Lord’s time of vengeance; He will pay Babylon what she deserves. Lo and behold, the Mediator comes! From heaven a white horse comes! Its Rider has a name: Faithful and True. And with justice He judges and goes to war. Fallen, fallen, is Babylon the Great! Fallen, fallen, is its Tower of Babel! Indeed, the Beast has been captured, and with him the false prophet (sorcerer). And they both have been thrown into the lake of fire, which burns with brimstone.”
After I finished writing these things, I put my diary back in the drawer. It’s illegal for me to have paper and pen. Handwriting is against the law too. The penalty for such crimes is death.
A week after I wrote these notes, I was arrested by Big Brother—the secret police. Now death awaits me. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have kept the faith. In my suffering, I am reminded of St. John. How he was banished to the Island of Patmos for preaching the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. He endured unto the end, and so will I!
Metropolis
I wrote some notes in my diary as I watched the movie Metropolis:
Metropolis is the utopian city of the future. It’s a mega city, with an inner city below ground. It’s a city with a two-tiered system: the haves and the have nots. The haves are the elites, the have nots are the workers. The have nots are the underclass who work below in the city’s infrastructure. These working stiffs look robotic, walking tiredly in sync with their heads down, as they go to and fro from work. In contrast, the elites above live a life of luxury. They hang out in a complex known as the Sons’ Club, with its lecture halls and libraries, its theatres and stadiums. They even have their own Garden of Eden, which they call the Eternal Gardens.
Down in the dark below, the have nots run the Machine. Without the Machine, there would be no Metropolis. The workers must keep up with the needs of the Machine, otherwise it will malfunction. Then the Machine, like Moloch, will devour its victims with smoke and fire. “Death and destruction are never satisfied: Toss the casualties into its mouth, for they must be sacrificed to the belly of the Beast! Broad is the road that leads to destruction: March the survivors into its bowels, for the realm of the dead desires them!”
In the utopian Metropolis above, stands the new Tower of Babel. “The bricks have fallen down, but we will rebuild with dressed stone; the sycamore trees have been felled, but we will replace them with cedars.” Whatever we put our minds to we will accomplish!
In the dystopian Metropolis below, a voice cried out: A Mediator is coming! Prepare His way, make His paths straight! When the King of Metropolis heard this, he was troubled. So he went to visit a sorcerer, a false prophet, who could help him. The two of them crafted a sinister plan to build the man of the future, whom they called the Machine-Man. They said, “No one will be able to distinguish between the Machine-Man and mortals. We shall give the Machine-Man the likeness of a woman. We shall give the Machine-Man her face. We shall use this false woman to deceive man. We shall sow discord between them!”
The voice in the depths cried out again: Listen to the story of Babel: Nimrod, a mighty warrior and hunter of men, captured men and enslaved them. Nimrod, the worthless shepherd, said, “Come! Let us build a tower whose zenith shall reach unto the stars! We will use bricks hardened in the fire, and mortar made from tar. We shall build this famous tower upon the great Babylonian plain.” However, his plans came to nothing. And now, similarly, we find ourselves under the oppression of an evil shepherd! His new world order has been built upon the backs of our blood, sweat and tears. We need a good shepherd, a Mediator, to help us. Wait for Him! He will surely come!
Meanwhile, the sorcerer kidnapped a beautiful young lady. He dragged her into his dingy laboratory. On the back wall of his laboratory was a large pentagram. Under the pentagram sat a robot, which he had created. The sorcerer laid the woman down on a table in the center of the room. He hooked her up to various wires and tubes, all of which were connected to the robot. Like a mad scientist, he opened and closed valves and flicked switches on and off. Then bright rings appeared, moving up and down the body of the robot. As this happened, the flesh of the woman merged with the robot. The two became one: Man and Machine. Biological algorithms merged with digital algorithms. Human consciousness merged with artificial intelligence. “What I have joined together let no man separate,” the sorcerer exclaimed. “I will call her the Queen of Heaven.” He saw what he had made and declared, “It is good! This is humanity plus: Post-humanity. This is transhumanism: Post-evolution. The Age of Human Deconstruction is finally here. Soon, man will no longer have freewill!”
Once again, the voice in the wilderness cried out: Verily, I say unto you: The days of Apocalypse draw nigh! In the Bible it is written: “I saw a Woman sitting upon a scarlet colored Beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. And the Woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet color, having a golden cup in her hand. And upon her forehead was the name written, a mystery: ‘BABYLON THE GREAT, mother of all abominations on the earth.’ And I saw the Woman drunk with the blood of the saints.”
Now it so happened that the King of Metropolis threw himself a birthday party. At his celebration, the Trans-woman danced seductively for him and his guests. Indeed, the Seven Deadly Sins followed her. The King was very pleased with her, and promised to give her whatever she desired. “I want you to give me the heads of my enemies,” she replied.
Upon the seven headed Beast the Spiritual Prostitute swayed her hips hypnotically, seducing the ignorant—both rich and poor. They counted her a saint, though all sins are heaped at her feet. “Look into my all-seeing eye,” the Seductress shrieked! “Join my new religion, join my one world church. But if you refuse to follow me, the King will give me your head.”
However, once the Witch had served her purpose, the King of Metropolis burned her at the stake. “I will have no gods (idols) before me,” he declared. “Now listen to me, all you people” said the King, “you are the living fodder for the Beast-Machine of Metropolis. You smear the Machine-Joints with your own marrow. You feed the Machine with your own flesh. Sacrifice yourselves to Moloch, you fools! Don’t let the Beast-Image starve, you morons! Follow the heart of the Machine! Let your hearts beat as one with the Beast! If the heart of the Beast-System fails, you too will be destroyed! Furthermore, I AM the Beast, the Beast-Machine has been created in my Image, and the Beast with seven heads is my kingdom—the Kingdom of the Beast! The Transcendental-woman gathered all religions together, saying, ‘Let us worship god together.’ But I tell you, your god is here! And now I offer the world my salvation: Take a bite of the Apple, take the Smart-Chip, take the Beast-Mark. If you do: I will abide in you, and you will abide in me. Now, come and follow me!”
Then a voice cried out, saying, “Flee from the midst of Babylon, and each of you save your life! Do not perish in her punishment, for this is the Lord’s time of vengeance; He will pay Babylon what she deserves. Lo and behold, the Mediator comes! From heaven a white horse comes! Its Rider has a name: Faithful and True. And with justice He judges and goes to war. Fallen, fallen, is Babylon the Great! Fallen, fallen, is its Tower of Babel! Indeed, the Beast has been captured, and with him the false prophet (sorcerer). And they both have been thrown into the lake of fire, which burns with brimstone.”
After I finished writing these things, I put my diary back in the drawer. It’s illegal for me to have paper and pen. Handwriting is against the law too. The penalty for such crimes is death.
A week after I wrote these notes, I was arrested by Big Brother—the secret police. Now death awaits me. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have kept the faith. In my suffering, I am reminded of St. John. How he was banished to the Island of Patmos for preaching the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. He endured unto the end, and so will I!