Growth Online > Knowledge Base > Society's Growth  > The Meaning of the Internet (& Computer) Insights into the Meaning of the Internet (& Computer) The Internet is the sign of the ascendance of Mind in man. It is also an indicator of the subtle organization of existence, mirroring something even vaster -- the spiritual consciousness that links and unites every living thing. Introduction to Page Overview Internet as Indicator of our Evolution Internet as Complex Form of Organization Internet as Subtle Entity Infinite Potential of Internet Support of Internet Development Miscellaneous Insights into the Nature of Technology   INTRODUCTION TO PAGE (top)   In this section of the Growth Online Knowledge Base, we present our original thoughts, as well as links to our original articles on the Society's Growth topic of "Meaning of the Internet (& Computer) & Technology." (If you wish, you can see our other Society's Growth categories.)   OVERVIEW (top)     Inner Reasons for the Internet We can account for the outer reasons, purpose, and utility of the Internet, but what of the "inner" ones? Here are several: It allows people to focus on what is truly meaningful in life, as the more mundane details can quickly be found there. It makes way for the spiritual life, as the mental knowledge is always at hand. It enables every individual to fulfill his or her own individual potential. It enables humanity to fulfill its potential. It transcends income and social status. It enables the individual to think for himself -- beyond the view of the herd -- and thus become a True Individual. It allows self-education; reflecting our deepest, soul interests. It allows for Human Unity through its collaborative capacity. It reflects the fact that man is becoming more mental and rational. That he is more open and amenable to the many side of an issue, which can be found there. It enables instantaneousness, overcoming space and time. It opens up infinite possibilities for success, for new services, possibilities in every field. It gives all access to the infinite in all planes -- beginning with knowledge. It combines many past technical functions (phone, tv, library, etc.) into one. It gives the profoundest of knowledge that will enable our more rapid evolution. It is the great unifier, equalizer, and vehicle for transcendence.   INTERNET AS INDICATOR OF OUR EVOLUTION (top)   Internet as Instrument of Social Revolution Computer, rather Internet, is revolutionary in its conception. It is an instrument of a social revolution hitherto unthought of. (MSS) Internet Reflects Individual, Social Growth The individual's higher mental development and the emerging social awareness, come together today with the advent of the Internet. The Internet is an embodiment of both the higher mental consciousness of the individual and the emerging social consciousness of society.   Internet is Expression of Modern Aspirations The development of Internet is neither a fortuitous discovery nor an inevitable evolution of technological trends. It is a natural expression and embodiment of the aspiration of modern society for unlimited and immediate access to information and unlimited means for individual creativity and self-expression. This aspiration has released a colossal energy in society that is by no means restricted to any single country or form of expression, but rather flows and overflows through every conceivable channel that will lend itself as an outlet. (MSS)   Internet's Role in Society's Evolution The Internet serves an evolutionary role as it brings people together through knowledge and collaboration. Such movements towards harmony, oneness, and unity are steps along the way towards our evolutionary and spiritual destiny. Aspects of Internet We can look at the Internet as the grace of society now heaped upon us. We can also see it as an infinite Knowledge (whose origins are spiritual) pouring into us through this new vehicle. Practically speaking, Internet is an expression of the mental advancement of man, of society. It is an organization mechanism that brings instantaneous knowledge so that we can move beyond the facts and be deeply insightful with that knowledge. As man organizes himself inwardly from vital/emotional to mental, organizations on the outside form that express that change. Internet is one such organization. Having knowledge at one's fingertips gives one power, which energizes and make one joyful. I.e. is one reason you love it. Your aspirations that others use Internet is a conscious longing on your part that the society itself subconsciously yearns for. This conversation is Internet in action. It is infinite like; like the ultimate spiritual Reality from which all emerges. Evolutionary Unifying Power of the Internet The purpose and power of the Internet is to unify all the human of the globe, which is Supermind; to be the starting point of abolishing the division of humanity and to make the world One which is again attribute of the Supermind; to be the starting point of bringing about world unity.   The Internet and the True Individual -The True Individual is inclined towards a multi-sided view of things. Does not the Internet overcome Ignorance in that it gives evidence of these varying sides, encouraging multi-sided, true-individuality thinking? The Internet is thus an instrument for the development of the True Individual.  -That is the essential significance of the Internet. It is an organization to evolve individuality. Each is in all, All is in Each. The Internet and the Emerging True Individual Many think of the Internet as mere technological marvel -- a form of organization that is simply an extension of the electronic products and services that came before it; in particular, the computer and various communication devices. However, the Internet is more than that. It is an outer form and expression of our individual need to explore, discover, and achieve in life. It is a social structure that allows our individuality to ripen by connecting us the wider knowledge and wisdom of society so we can thrive and fulfill our deepest aspirations in life. If the Internet is an indicator of new developments in the “support systems” of society, the individual himself is also undergoing a fundamental change. First of all, his life is becoming more oriented around his mind – i.e. he is becoming more mental. Because he is more educated, because he is more aware of the world around him, and because is more conscious of his ability to direct the course of his life, his mental bent is in ascendance -- i.e. it is becoming the true leader of his being. As a result, he perceives that he truly has the inner resources -- the knowledge and power -- to become anything he so chooses. One way this inner-directed person fulfills his deepest aspiration is by making full use of the information and knowledge available to him. As it turns out, the Internet serves this function perfectly well, as it supplies an infinite supply of facts, ideas, and insights to support his ever-deepening aspiration for self-knowledge, individual expression, and greater success. Though the Internet is an outer vehicle, still it serves an inner need -- as this vast organizational system provides truths from every segment of society so that the individual can consciously choose the future direction of his life. In addition to this mental bent that fosters a truly conscious inner-driven existence, a second contributing factor to Man’s increasing individuality is the availability of ever-greater levels of freedom in life. Unfettered by the demands of the old hierarchical order, unrestrained by old, outworn moralities and customs, the individual feels free, even compelled, to explore the vast array of possibilities available to him. This person perceives that he has full independence to become anything he puts his mind to. Once again, the Internet serves him well by providing a vast array of knowledge that he can choose from: that meet his own particular needs and interests so he can reach his maximum potential. Thus, the Internet enables his freedom to mature into ever-increasing levels of fulfillment in life. A third fundamental change the individual is going through -- one not readily perceived by society, since it is more subtle and difficult to fathom -- is that he is beginning to move out of his essential Ignorance. By that term, I am not referring to the ignorance of the poor farmer or the individual who is without education, but to an intrinsic unconsciousness that is there in every person at birth: that we inherit simply as humans. There are a number of ways this essential Ignorance expresses -- including an ignorance of our fundamental makeup, i.e. the parts and planes of our being; an ignorance of what purpose we serve in life; an ignorance of the laws and principles by which life operates; and an ignorance of the higher domains of life, including the spiritual; to name a few. As a result, we tend to live a divided existence; cut off from the knowledge that would otherwise enable us to live truly conscious and infinitely successful lives. One particular way our Ignorance takes shape has to do with the very way we perceive reality. If we examine how humans comprehend the world around them, we see that we tend to perceive only a small part of any issue or matter, rather than the multiplicity of factors that make up that object. Dominated by our fixed habits, our virulent attitudes, and our hardened opinions, we tend to guard what little we know of a matter, and shun the wider and deeper knowledge available to us. Holding on to our limited perceptions, we make faulty assumptions that lead to error-prone, misbegotten behaviors and actions that result in difficult, pain-filled lives. Our emerging individual, on the other hand, breaks out of these limitations, embracing the wide variety of truths, including the multiplicity of details, as well as the essence that make up the Whole of any matter or concern. From this vantage point, he is armed with the right and necessary knowledge that enables him to succeed abundantly in life. Again, the Internet, with its vast array of information and knowledge, serves him well, as it provides a more integrated, many-sided view of things. Thus, the Internet is a social power that forces us out of our false, limited view, and gives us the opportunity to embrace a fuller, more balanced, integral knowledge. In essence, we are moved from a limited subjectivity to a deep and wide objectivity rooted in truth. As a result, we have the necessary wisdom to redirect the course of our lives, and fulfill our fondest hopes and dreams. Over time, the Internet could even mature into something unprecedented in the world: a shared fount of profound Intelligence that anyone could tap into in order to navigate life’s challenges, opportunities, and mysteries. As a result, the inquiring individual can know at any moment in time the precise direction to take to attract the greatest results in the shortest period of time with the least effort. In this way, the Internet becomes an instrument and vehicle for our greatest efficiency in life. Over time, individuals can contribute their own unique insights to this oracle-like organization of Intelligence -- expanding and enriching it ad infinitum. Eventually the Internet can mature into a fundamental pillar of existence that serves to educate us about the true nature of life so we are empowered to reach the stars. As we look out at the arc of our human existence, of the progress we have made over the millennia, and, in particular, the rapid changes in human consciousness that are occurring today, it seems only right that this self-empowered, inner directed, highly conscious new type of person should appear. The emergence of this True Individual is the logical consequence of everything that has come before -- an extension of our past progress to the future. Because of the freedom we have acquired, because of our ever-increasing mental bent, and because of our yearning to know the many-sided, true truth of things, there is a compulsion of Nature to produce the next iteration of human life. In parallel and concord with these developments, we see a powerful new system of society taking shape -- the Internet --, which is serving this New Individual’s needs in the extreme. Together they indicate that a new form of human existence is forming that is at once dynamic, creative, and spiritual in nature. It is a sign of the next stage of human progress: our evolution into a New Way of Living. ARTICLE: The Internet In Social Evolution   Real Underpinnings of Today's Social Change Social and cultural changes are having even more impact than technological change. Recognizing this will put computer and Internet in its proper perspective. And that will make the Internet socially creative.   Internet and Higher Consciousness The Internet in one way enables us to move from ego self to true Self and universal Self, since it allows for fulfillment of one's individuality, even as it enables easier connection to others and the universe. Though ultimately that is attained inwardly, Internet can be an instrument for these evolutionary movements; or, we can say in the reverse, that it is a reflection of the ever-growing "inward" movement of humanity toward mentality, away from the physical and vital consciousness.   It is worth considering how the Internet is a reflection of spirit, of the various planes of consciousness from the physical to the supramental, of spiritual results and determination (of peace, truth, power, bliss, love, knowledge), and in other facets of emerging consciousness.   INTERVIEW on How the Internet is a Mirror of Our Evolution In this interview Roy Posner, president of Growth Online, discusses how the Internet mirrors our own human evolution, and points to the future evolution of the human race.    Internet Founding in California The Internet was founded in 1969 when a signal was sent from UCLA (in Southern California) to Stanford Research Institute (SF Bay Area in Northern California.) The US is the economic and cultural leader of the world (not the leader in terms of high values though.) California is the leader of the US, thus leads the world. Internet being founded in California, is indicator of this.   Internet as Stage Toward Our Ultimate Status The Internet enables us to move from selfish self, separate and divided from others, to being more readily, abundantly, and instantaneously united with others, even the world and the universe. It is a relatively significant movement toward the higher aspects of collaboration, harmony, union, unity, and Oneness; all attributes of our highest evolutionary status.   Internet and Spirit Internet to some degree brings the future into the present (e.g. what would have taken days or weeks to research can be found in an instant), and the infinite into the finite (e.g. where there were only a few possibilities there are now infinite discoveries). And yet it is an aspect of, a mere scratch of the surface of the capacities and workings of the Divine Spirit.   MSS Articles on Internet, Computer Internet and Computer are Mainly Organization   The Force of Computer and Internet The computer and Internet are tools of organization that gather force into powers of accomplishment.   MSS Article Movement of Freedom from Agriculture to Internet (the ways the Internet allow for freedom)   MSS Article Internet as the Integrating Technology   INTERNET AS COMPLEX FORM OF ORGANIZATION (top)     Internet as Organization Internet is the ultimate form of complex organization reflecting the higher developments of mind in the individual, and perhaps even of something subtle and spiritual in the mind of men. The Internet is also subtle in that it gives sudden information, defying the laws of space and time; and it is subtle because it gives deeply insightful, full, integral knowledge, where an individual could for example know more of his illness than a doctor.   Internet as New Model of Social Organization What is new and unique about the Internet, thoroughly in character with the temper of our times, and the source of its unprecedented productive capacities is its organization. Internet is primarily and preeminently a new model and form of social organization with untold power to transform the way society functions. It is the creation of a vast organization without central authority or hierarchy. (MSS)   Power of Internet as Complex Organization The power of an organization increases with its complexity, with its ability to coordinate and integrate a wider range of activities. The Internet is a very complex organization of systems for the generation, transmission, distribution, reception, and cataloging of information. Internet combines and integrates the functions of mail, telephone, fax, motion pictures, television, radio, newspapers, libraries, schools, conferences and discussion groups. It makes it possible to interrelate political, commercial, financial, educational, recreational, scientific, medical, religious, cultural and personal activities, stimulating the growth and increasing the productivity of them all. It creates the maximum number of potential synaptic connections between different subjects and activities. (MSS)   Internet as Mental Model of Society Internet is a break from the old organizational model of society. It is a mental model, as opposed to the physical and vital models of organization that has dominated our existence for thousands of years. In that way it is a great change in social history and progress; a harbinger of man's evolution to a higher mental functioning, which can extend further to our ultimate spiritual evolutionary possibility.   Aspects of Internet We can look at the Internet as the grace of society now heaped upon us. We can also see it as an infinite Knowledge (whose origins are spiritual) pouring into us through this new vehicle. Practically speaking, Internet is an expression of the mental advancement of man, of society. It is an organization mechanism that brings instantaneous knowledge so that we can move beyond the facts and be deeply insightful with that knowledge. As man organizes himself inwardly from vital/emotional to mental, organizations on the outside form that express that change. Internet is one such organization. Having knowledge at one's fingertips gives one power, which energizes and make one joyful. I.e. is one reason you love it. Your aspirations that others use Internet is a conscious longing on your part that the society itself subconsciously yearns for. This conversation is Internet in action. It is infinite like; like the ultimate spiritual Reality from which all emerges.   Multiplier Effect of Integration of Sectors The integration of two or more sectors of social activity, organization or technology leads to a multiplication of their productive power, as the combination of computer and telecommunications has given rise to the Internet which integrates multiple functions including news delivery, education, commerce, and entertainment. (MSS)   INTERNET AS SUBTLE ENTITY (top)   Internet as Instrument of Subtle Knowledge Internet is the instrument of subtle knowledge. (MSS) Subtlety of Internet The Internet is a subtle form of (beyond gross/material) organization. It is the plane of Mind expressing itself in physical matter. (MSS)   The Subtlety of the Internet; a Step on the Way to Ultimate Causality The web represents a movement toward the infinite capacity of life, which we are just beginning to understand. The greater the movement towards subtlety, all the way to the ultimate causality of spirit, the greater the capacity of life to respond beyond the normal notions of cause and effect, and space and time. Since the Internet is subtle, it is a movement towards that spirit. It reflects the subtlety of the organizational power of mind. Beyond that power is silent mind, spiritual mind of light, illumination, and intuition, and above that the higher consciousness where the Divine enables infinite, timeless capacity, if we connect with it. With Internet's capacity to retrieve information based on what you want, it is a step in the movement of society towards subtlety. At the highest level of subtlety, the connection to the Absolute, God, Brahman, the subtlely moves to causality, which is instantaneous and infinitely abundant.   Internet as Subtle Consider the Internet. Now project it dozens of years in the future; and further still. It goes well beyond our imagination. It will have a continuous level of subtlety that overcomes space and time, cause and effect, and all human logic, that will border on the mystical. That is an indicator that we are on the way to the divinization of matter. Untitled Full, "subtle" knowledge gives an individual the knowledge of an expert; maybe even more than the professional expert. The Internet offers full, subtle knowledge and information. [E.g. a web user trying to understand his health problems can know more through the Internet than the any doctor examining him.]   Subtlety Required for Internet Use The Internet requires a greater burden on the user than ordinary life. Because one only has the other person's limited words, and the dialogue is often not linear, it requires an extra perception, a subtle sense of perception of those he is communicating with. That requires him to move to a deeper poise from which he can more readily understand the true truth that the other side is presenting. In that sense, such communication is evolutionary, and is Nature's Way of giving a push in the subtle parts of our awareness. Parallels of Subtlety Between Emerging Individuals and Technologies Just as there are individuals of mento-spiritual bent, indicating a more subtle quality of human emerging, there are occupations emerging that reflect a parallel subtlety. E.g. we can see this in the forms of higher technology, such as computer software. If we observe the world around us we can see how products and services are moving towards ever-greater subtlety of form reflecting the subtlety of spirit emerging in human life.   Subtle Organization of Computer and Internet Computer and Internet have something inherently subtle in them; powers of subtle organization. This reflects the subtlety of Mind itself, which is the cause of their existence.   Internet as the Instrument of Subtle Knowledge: Life is not fully gross, physical and material. There is always a subtle part to it that is invisible. Of course, there is another causal part of it that cannot be so easily felt or shown to another. What is here called subtle is always described as higher skill. Anyway, a work can be split into many minute parts and all those can be trained. When all possible training is imparted and learned, there remains something untaught and unlearned. We call it skill that comes by experience. It is that part which is called here subtle. The gross part is teachable, the subtle part comes from long experience, to those it comes, not to all. We call that faculty insight, intuition, resourcefulness, knack or even luck. That subtle part is also teachable if not to all, maybe for the majority, sometimes to all. It comes from viewing the part from the whole. Long experience often gives to doctors, teachers, generals, lawyers, and leaders the touch of the WHOLE. The part seen against it gives the insight. All solutions in Sherlock Holmes stories answer to this description. Subtlety is to know the part not as a mere part all by itself but as a part of the whole. Internet now makes available to a patient a vast knowledge, which only experienced doctors possess. Internet gives the patient the knowledge of a disease which often patients do not share with their doctors. In certain minor diseases which the doctor rarely comes across, the patient can have a far greater information than his doctor from the Internet. Imagine the clients having as much knowledge as the professional has. A doctor may feel his patients are doctors. The Internet by giving vast stores of information to a client offers the possibility of his having subtle knowledge, which only exceptional professionals are endowed with. After about 2000 years of warfare – physical prowess settling legal or even moral claims – disarmament brings the battlefield to the negotiating table. That is the distance in time humanity takes to move from the physical plane of fighting to the subtle plane of negotiating. The Internet throws open that possibility to all sections of humanity in all their concerns. If anything, it will have a far, far greater impact on human functioning than universal education did at the turn of the 20th century. Seeing Internet in the perspective of the past that developed it and the future it may develop for the society, one has the best of chances to understand its role as an organisation which for the first time in history became an institution without passing through the phase of being an organisation. Gold, diamond, oil, etc., made men madly rush to them seeking wealth. Internet rushes to men to make them abundantly wealthy to the extent of disregarding wealth in favour of higher social or human values. It is a knowledge of the Theory of Social Evolution that can make one fully appreciate the value of this invisible institution offering subtle knowledge. (MSS)   INFINITE POTENTIAL OF INTERNET (top)     Infinite Potentials of Internet We debate whether we can rise 2% or 5% GDP. With the Internet we can give up such limited views. This new technology is subtle in its workings, and infinite in its scope. It defies previous conceptions of limitation. In fact, when we examine it, there does not seem to be an outer boundary to it. It appears limitless in scope and infinite in possibility, meaning that it is connected to an Unlimited and Limitless Divine. The problem just now is that the companies, institutions, and governments are not seriously using it, thereby shunning the vast potential impact of Internet to move life. 2% or 5% yearly can become 20/50, 200/500, or more per annum; which would be an astounding change in human social development. If we think and act along those lines, we can realize such exponential change, rather than the current incremental marginal change. It is a thrilling notion to behold, and foreshadows the infinite potentials of life that we can manifest when we open to the Infinite supramental spiritual force and powers available to life.   Simultaneous Time of the Internet Any work needs certain duration, successive process for completion which is time. In simultaneous time, work is done with speed of timelessness abolishing space, distance and time. Internet does that. So who whoever uses internet as a force effectively, depending on their ability to let it act, the time is abridged and phenomenal results are achieved from a single place. (Ramesh for MSS)   Internet Sheds the Negative Aspect of Rumor/Word of Mouth Rumor/word of mouth which is the most powerful integrating method developed by society, can be seen shedding its moribund personal quality through the Internet, which rapidly spreads facts of purer impersonality to the denizens of the world. (Paraphrase of MSS) How Rural Societies like India Can Skip the Industrial Stage of Development The world evolved from agriculture to modern society via manufacturing. As the centuries or decades pass, the Mind awakens. It hastens the change. Now that the service sector dominates and society has given a tool of technology – computer – India can skip both the initial phases largely. Rural areas can generate their own service sector and agriculture can be avoided to a great extent. (MSS)   Mind's and Spiritual Mind's Multiplier Effect in Society The computer and Internet revolution are indicators of the further emergence of the mental consciousness in society. Anything that enhances that movement has a multiplier effect. E.g. for each information technology job that is created, a dozen or more other related jobs are created directly or indirectly. The mind and its mental application through works in society has that multiplier power. Society's implementation of mind centered in the spiritual consciousness has that potential effect to the infinite degree.   Digital Implementation Fosters Job Security Employment growth has become more stable in those sectors of society adopting computer and Internet technologies. Such digital intelligence fosters economic security and well-being. It secretly fosters a multiplier of job generation, though that fact is invisible to us.   Money, Internet as Social Powers that Expand the Individual Infinitely In money movement and Internet we can begin to see how the individual capacity to enable the infinite potential of life into his own life is amplified through society.   Access to Once Hidden Information -University teachers keeping important reference books of the department library for their own use and for those close to them used to be the custom. There were not many professors who would gladly part with the information, even to their own students. As far as possible, any information that one needed would be kept as a secret. The public came to know of essential information only by experience, which means they had very little access to information. The Internet is gradually making such information public, thus removing all social inhibitions, which spreads like a wet blanket all over social life. Truly, it is a revolution the world is undergoing.   -The Prime Minister [of India] announced that the government is contemplating starting a Knowledge Commission. If this Commission can release ALL information that is now a close preserve of the social hierarchy and make it fully available to the public, a great step will have been taken. (MSS, extracted)   The Force of Computer and Internet The computer and Internet are tools of organization that gather force into powers of accomplishment.   Collecting the Collective Subconscious through the Internet to Become a Genius The collective subconscious wisdom emerges in the individual as genius. Theoretically, one who can collect the wisdom in the collective subconscious in his own conscious mind will become a genius. The Internet is the first direct technological attempt to make that possible. What Internet does externally to the mind, the teacher, the school or the family can do to the child internally, if they fully appreciate the evolutionary role of Internet in the lives of men. (MSS)   Genius-based Innovation Garnered from the Collective Higher organizational values like coordination and integration can lead to the type of breakthrough innovation that companies and other organizations are looking for. I.e. innovation doesn’t always have to arise from the solitary genius, but from the current collective of people in the social entity. We could call it “collective innovation and genius.” The power that mutually interdependent people have to change the course of life thus emerges as an important theme. Across the Internet we can see such potential collective genius. E.g. Human Science, Karmayogi.net forums, Growth Online, etc. allow for collaboration in psychological and spiritual subject areas, blossoming  as creativity, insight, and innovation.   Adopting spiritual organizational values like harmony, oneness, wisdom, love, etc. suggest even greater collective, genius-induced innovation that can be garnered from the collective. The Possibilities the Internet Creates We just do not see how Internet bringing miraculously to us the information the world has, creates NEW possibilities. The creativity of the Internet is not in the creation of information but in the creation of new organisations. (MSS) MSS Article Movement of Freedom from Agriculture to Internet (the ways the Internet allow for freedom)   SUPPORT OF INTERNET DEVELOPMENT (top)   Spiritual Insights Can Aid Modern Advances The study of how the Divine spirit became matter (the involution), and how out of matter and life we are discovering the spiritual plane (in the evolution), will aid in understanding future technological and scientific advances.  (Paraphrase of MSS) Internet and Communistic Values Though politics is unaware of it, technology is trying to deliver to man the social goal of communism. (Paraphrase of MSS)   TECHNOLOGY (top)   Click Here to See Entries     MISCELLANEOUS (top)   Accomplishing Infinitely by Acting on the Universe Contained Inside Ourselves For 10,000 years we lived our lives based on our perception of physical space and measured time, which the Internet now threatens to abridge to a considerable degree. And yet the deeper inner consciousness of an individual can contain the entire universe within himself at any moment, negating space and time altogether. E.g. he can take actions from those depths, using that Force, enabling life to instantly respond up to an infinite degree from anywhere on earth within seconds. Even the Internet is a scratch of the surface compared to the accomplishment and joy that can emanate from this timeless, spaceless, infinite existence that we can contain from within.   Value of Money and the Internet Money serves as a medium for conservation and storage of what each person produces and permits easy transfer over any distance, thereby overcoming limitations imposed by time and space and dramatically increasing the efficiency of transactions. Internet promises to play a similar role at the mental level of information and knowledge as a medium to organize globalization. Internet is increasing the frequency, speed and efficiency of information exchange in every field – commercial, industrial, educational, scientific, political, religious, recreational, etc. Internet also overcomes the limits of time and space by enabling instantaneous access to information around the world. It increases enormously the number, intricacy and complexity of interactions made possible between individuals, organizations, facts, activities and fields of knowledge. Internet is an organized medium for bringing all existing social organizations into greater contact to release the maximum energy of society leading to unprecedented levels of social productivity and development (MSS)   Internet and Values Although some people decry the absence of values on the Internet, by which they mean the lack of control over the suitability of content, the Internet actually embodies high and strong values from which it derives an almost irresistible strength. These include physical values such as speed, timeliness, efficiency and productivity; organizational values such as standardization, systemization, coordination, integration and communication; and psychological values such as equality of access, public service and empowerment of the individual. (MSS)     To Be Categorized   III Internet Limited Use of Internet The advent of the web and Internet has widened the scope of information infinitely. Still, the use [to discover necessary information in life] is only minimal. (MSS)   III Computer & Internet Errors in Health Systems Corrected by Computers; Unwillingness of Institutions to Change Interns work long hours, miss their sleep, have to take important decisions in emergencies. As against a normal work week of 40 hours, they go up to 80 hours ordinarily, or occasionally to 130 hours. The wrong diagnosis in ICUs is up to 39%. It is a surprise that in these advanced nations, even in sophisticated hospitals, the capacity to change, change for the better is little. There are some hospitals which abound in errors in prescriptions, often leading to fatality. The computer was introduced and 86% of such errors were eliminated. This is their own experience. Still, the resistance to avoid these errors, the unwillingness to change old habits, is great. Any new invention corrects to a very large extent, even up to 90% the errors of an old method. The ills of such hospitals can be minimised or eradicated if computer is introduced to prevent them. They know that pilots double check before they enter their planes, but are unwilling to adopt similar measures. A machine - computer - cannot err, where a man out of laziness or forgetfulness errs. In this sense, the computer is a boon. The scope of introducing the computer is vast. E.g. the 40% wrong diagnosis can be fully avoided if computer crosschecks the diagnosis. Man can be tense in the ICU, not the machine. Man forgets many related aspects, the computer will not. To avail of a comfort is to be civilised. To do so for purposes of saving lives is to be human. Avoid the errors, usher in Prosperity. (MSS)     III I Internet Achieve, Self-Givingness, & Aspiration Internet/Computer Supports/Expands Infinitely One's Service, Aspiration Computer is such an innovation. Computer is an innovation that admits of endless innovations. The capacity of the computer makes difficult things easy, expensive things cheap. Such innovations are announced very often. Hotmail was one such innovation. Someone had a big heart to offer people something essential for free. The result was Hotmail, which gave him the boon of $220 million when Microsoft purchased it from him. All those who have a big heart that is generous can receive from the Internet such boons. This was not a possibility that existed before. Even in traditional sectors, the Internet is capable of expanding existing operations. A man was selling second hand goods. He thought of using the Internet and called his site market place. It showed astronomical growth. In five years, he grew to a size of capturing the notice of giants. He sold his site to one of them for $225 million Euros. Maybe five years earlier he was not doing even half a million. Internet opens the heavens to human aspiration. He who yearns for doing service will find his service reaching all the corners of the world when he resorts to the Internet. (MSS)     III Internet, Technology Technology Enables Power of the Elite to Common Man Advancing technology enables the common man to possess and enjoy what only the elite and royalty possessed so far. In that sense, technology brings the exclusive power of the elite to be distributed among all. (MSS)   III Internet On the Computer This computer offers to the vast unemployed educated youth (in India and elsewhere) immediate income, if they are resourceful to use it. (Paraphrase of MSS)     Internet is the New Money Internet is the money of this century. Internet is to us what money was to the 18th century. Internet is the MONEY for information. What money was to commodities Internet is to information.] (MSS)     Significance of Internet's Development in USA Internet was born and grew up in the USA, a social environment in which political freedom, social self-expression and individual empowerment have been elevated almost to cult status; in which widespread prosperity has distributed material comforts to the majority of people; in which higher education has been extended to more people than anywhere else in the world; in which the discoveries of science generate keen anticipation and excitement; in which the quest for information has become an insatiable thirst; in which the productive value of information has become a self-evident fact of life; and in which new technologies are accepted, assimilated and mastered with greater eagerness and facility than at any other time or place in history. (MSS)     How the Infrastructure of the Internet Developed The initial infrastructure for Internet was established in 1969 to provide a secure and survivable communications network for organizations engaged in defense-related research. Over the following two decades, it evolved into a fast, convenient, low cost means for universities and research institutions to electronically exchange information and messages. The spread of personal computers in businesses, government, schools and homes coupled with the growth of local area networks during the 1980s and early 1990s provided a means for million of individual users to link into the system. These developments propelled the growth of the Internet from a thousand or so networks in the mid-1980s to about 60,000 connected networks in mid-1995. By the middle of 1997, the Internet was available to an estimated 100 million register users worldwide. (MSS)     Internet as New Model of Organization What is new and unique about the Internet, thoroughly in character with the temper of our times, and the source of its unprecedented productive capacities is its organization. Internet is primarily and preeminently a new model and form of social organization with untold power to transform the way society functions. (MSS)     Internet, Authority, and Hierarchy The Internet is a vast organization without central authority or hierarchy.     Organizations, Institutions, and Internet Institutions are not centrally managed. Organisations are centrally managed. Over decades, centuries organizations mature, evolves into institutions. Internet is likely an institution since it is not centrally managed. It skipped the organisation phase (of centralized authority) Thus Internet could dissolve organisations (where central authority reigns) like education and management fully or in part.     Truths About The Internet There have been three stages of social development, the Physical (marked by survival, deference to the collective, etc.), the Vital (marked by human interconnections, travel, business, etc.), and the Mental (freedom, fulfillment, higher organization, etc.). There is also the possibility of a future Spiritual stage.  The movement from the Physical to the Vital to the Mental stages is social development. The Mental stage of social development is indicated by an increase in freedom, democracy, mental inquisitiveness, human fulfillment, and higher levels of organization. The Internet is a product of these forces and values. The Internet is reflective of the further emergence of the power of Mind. The Internet is an outer reflection, form of the Mental stage of human development. The Mental stage is indicative by accelerating complexity of organization. The Internet is a yet more complex form of organization Increasing organization indicates increasing social growth or social development. Organization can expand horizontally as more organization, which is social growth; or as more complex organization, i.e. social development More complex organization is reflected in a continuum upward by a more single complex system; by greater interrelationships between systems; by greater interrelationships between more complex systems; by greater interrelationships between dissimilar complex systems; The complex, dense organization in our world reflects the complex more dense organization that is developing in the human mind; e.g. the person is learning to integrate carious aspects of his being (thoughts, attitudes, health, inner working; all of which can be made to relate to one another (integral knowledge of self)  The human is evolving from the physical to the vital to the mental planes of being. The spiritual plane is beyond that. The Physical plane of a human consists of the subconscious awareness and impulses of the body expressed in animal instincts, basic drives of human nature, and inherited character traits. The primary drives of the physical are for self-preservation and reproduction. The Vital/Emotional plane consists of the semi-conscious sensations, urges, desires, feelings and emotions. The vital plane provides the energy for human action and expresses itself through attraction, liking, desire and enthusiasm. The Mental consists of the thoughts, opinions, beliefs, ideas and values that guide our conscious thinking, conceptualizing and decision-making processes. At the mental plane there are three sub levels; they are the physical mind (physical mental); the vital mind (vital mental); and the conceptual mind (mental mental). Physical Mind At this most basic level the mind is focused on processing physical information, accumulating thoughts and facts, understanding practical things in life. A person involved in physical sciences, engineering, medicine, or a technician might be examples of work where this level of mind is predominant.  Vital Mind At the next higher level the mind is occupied with interpreting the information from the senses and converting it into knowledge, understanding of life. It also expresses as mental emotions, interests, values,  sentiments. Examples of where this level of mind is predominant and expresses is writing high poetry, writing philosophy, or being involved with social science.  Conceptual Mind At the highest level of mind proper is the use of our minds to conceive the world and develop new concepts, ideas, and possibilities. Few people have developed capacities to function from this level of mind. A philosopher, mathematician, or theoretical scientist are examples of expressions of mind centered at this level.  Beyond these levels of the mental plane, are the spiritual planes of mind and spirit itself The mental age is reflective of the further emergence of the power of Mind. Full, "subtle" knowledge gives an individual the knowledge of an expert. Maybe even more than the professional expert.  The Internet offers full, subtle knowledge and information The Internet serves provides subtle knowledge at the three levels of the mental plane: more skills and knowledge; knowledge and insights into the workings and processes of life; the ability to develop original ideas, conceive new possibilities. The Internet can help the individual to grow, develop, and evolve, which in turn helps society grow, develop, and evolve.  The ultimate forces that help the individual and society grow, develop, and evolve is not the Internet but the underlying forces at work in the Mental stage -- freedom, democracy, individual inquisitiveness, individual fulfillment, and organization. The result of these values and powers is the release of a tide wave of energy in society. That energy has been somewhat harnessed by the Internet. (The more society makes he effort to harness the energy the more social development takes place. the Internet can play a substantial role as an instrument for this process.) All of these forces together dramatically increase the possibilities of success, accomplishment, and joy for the individual and society As the higher mental and spiritual potentials are released in the future, the underlying values and powers of the times will be far greater still, releasing therefore infinitely greater energy, possibilities for success, accomplishment, and joy.  As humanity evolves it creates ever more progress in developing its efficiencies; i.e. it's progress shows itself in ever higher forms and ideas that enable the greatest results with the least effort. In that regard we can say that all technological innovations are the result of man’s progress in efficiency. The latest is the computer and Internet.     III II (both) Internet & Technology Business, Product Scientific discovery that Creates a Corresponding Product Every new scientific discovery begins as theory and ends as a PRODUCT. From the Stone Age, Man has been creating such products. Maybe the very first product is the stone which he used as a tool. Computer and Internet may be the latest such tools. The tool becomes a product. (MSS)   Growth Online Contact Us