Optical Illusions and Reality: In the Age of AI, What Can You Believe?

Sitting at my computer this morning I experienced an interesting optical illusion. Looking across the field through the "frame" of two tree trunks, I saw the head of a roman wearing a laurel wreath in profile. He looked very much like this:

As the wind blew his mouth opened and closed as if he were speaking. Of course, I knew it was just an illusion created by my brain, but it fascinated me and got me thinking about illusions and truth.

In these days of photo shop, AI, etc. what can one actually believe? Can you trust your eyes or has someone put Joe Biden's head on Chuck Norris' body? Can you trust your ears, or has someone used a voice recognition and manipulation program to create a false interview? Is the fight between Elon Musk and Donald Trump real or a magician's trick to distract from what they don't want you to see?

The Matrix has become a reality. What is real and what is fake and how can you be sure of anything these days? 

Certainly, when I'm with my children and grandchildren and watching them swim or play a game or ride a bike, I'm confident I'm experiencing reality. When I go out to the chicken coop to gather the eggs and see a doe under the pine trees foraging, I know I'm seeing what's real. 

When I'm looking at social media or a "reel" on my smart phone or reading a story that pretends to be true, I know I'm being played. They might as well be shouting, "Stay in the Matrix; it's the real world! All that stuff going on in your yard or at Church or in your neighborhood is what's fake. There's no man behind the curtain. Listen to the talking head! He's telling you the truth."

Hmmm....

As much as possible, we need to get our kids off of social media. In fact, we need to consume less ourselves. I'm often surprised at the gullibility of folks passing on obviously fake memes and stories as true. I tend to be a "fact checker," one who really loves the truth unlike Facebook's phonies. If something sounds nuts, I check it out. But I think a better strategy is to limit severely the influence of the manipulators by living in the real world. Forty-five minutes in prayer and meditation is a good antidote to Satanic influence. And believe me; it is Satanic. The devil is prowling the world seeking whom he can devour and he has plenty of human minions happily joining him in his evil work. Sad but true. Just watch the violent protests against ICE happening all over the country.

So, as Ronald Reagan encouraged, "Trust, but verify." Be a critical thinker who asks questions and demands the data. When someone distorts history presenting a skewed and biased view of reality don't swallow the camel!

In this week of Pentecost, let us all pray diligently for the outpouring of the Holy Spirits with His many gifts that we might be wise and live in the real world of truth, goodness, and beauty. 

Have a blessed week in the octave of Pentecost! Pray for peace.