I wrote this over 20 years ago ...
(posted on 4/17/2000, slightly edited)

"Thanks to the Internet, we are now on the cusp of 
our greatest renaissance. Or our worst dark ages."

An Internet Awakening
by Jay Fenello

This is a movement of awakening.

It is an awakening to the human condition — who we are, what we do, and why we do it.

It is an awakening to the unconscious nature of our actions, and how they are driven by unconscious beliefs.  It is an exploration of these unconscious beliefs, and the process of replacing them with conscious ones, beliefs made rationally and spiritually.

And through this process, it’s an awakening to who we really are, our purpose here on this planet, and a personal relationship with the God of our hearts.

Now this discussion may sound a little strange to you.  I know, because there was a time when it would have sounded strange to me.  But this is my truth, for I have seen the results of this movement, up close and personal.

This process of moving from darkness to light, from unconsciousness to consciousness, can be a rocky road, full of emotional turmoil, distress and misunderstandings.  But the end result is worth it, for it is that which we all seek.

And *this* reminds me of ICANN, the newly formed organization established by the Clinton administration to assume the role of Internet Governance.

In actuality, it is a take-over of the Internet by big business, big media, and big government.  It is currently pursuing an agenda that would place some serious controls over its use, and some serious controls over civil liberties.  Worst of all, it lies, cheats and steals to get its way.

So, how did we end up with a seriously flawed organization like ICANN governing the Internet?

Why didn’t our governments step in to stop it?  Why didn’t the world press report it?  And why did some of our most prestigious institutions and foundations support it?

In the real world, the answers to these questions are conjecture, mere whispers in the wind.  On the Internet, they are the seeds of our collective rebirth.

Before the Internet, we could not tell that big business had been using exactly the same techniques with ICANN, that it had with the WTO, NAFTA, etc.  We could not tell that a knowledgeable minority existed in each of these battles, and despite their protests and well reasoned arguments, they were ignored and marginalized by our government and by our press.

Now, thanks to the Internet, we can see this pattern in action.  We can see how big business uses the government for its own benefit, and how it uses the media to hide its secret agendas.

And this situation is getting worse.

Not so long ago, a single organization could only control a handful of media outlets, and only if they were scattered throughout the nation.  Today, thanks to the Telecom Act of 1996, these restrictions have either been removed or drastically reduced.

The truth of the matter is, we are all stuck in a recurring pattern.  We are using unexamined beliefs about our government and the way our world works, to guide our actions.  And through this process, we continue to get results that we don’t want.

In other words, ICANN is really just a symptom of the problem.  The real problem is our “collective *un*consciousness.”

In my opinion, what is happening is power has been consolidated to the point where those at the top, no longer feel that the rules apply to them.  And given current events, they are right.

I humbly suggest that it is time for us to realize that many of our fundamental beliefs about the world are no longer valid (if they ever were).  It’s time for us to explore these fundamental beliefs, and replace them with beliefs made rationally and spiritually.

Thanks to the Internet, we are now on the cusp of our greatest renaissance. Or our worst dark ages.  Let’s hope we choose wisely.