Thoughts That Sting
I am and am not a fan of technology. I love seeing what people do with it to benefit others. Ideas like an artificial pancreas are fun.
Other ideas are scary. I had a very intelligent friend share this link with me without comment. I can almost see why he was speechless.
The thought to protect our soldiers by automated warriors on one hand is terrific. Our veterans have been through so much, and if we can prevent PTSD and other physical and emotional disorders, it is terrific.
The issue is that every good tool has a misuse that can turn it into a weapon. This raises the ethical and moral question of whether if we can do something we should.
Weaponized drones based on facial recognition is a terrifying concept. To target an evil ideology from its inception is a common thought. However, who gets to identify evil ideologies? Who determines where an ideology really begins? How do you separate the true believers from the misguided seeking?
As a Christian, I have an even greater concern. I know not many like the book of Revelation. I’ve mentioned before that it is a scary concept; every line contains warnings for those whose darkened hearts aren’t right before the Lord. It’s not mine to judge who is and isn’t right. I just have to believe that what God says is true is true.
As I saw these drones, I thought of flying scorpions. So I went looking in the Bible for the concept. Revelation 9 provided ample fodder for every nightmare in verses 1–11 (International Children’s Bible):
Then the fifth angel blew his trumpet. And I saw a star fall from the sky to the earth. The star was given the key to the deep hole that leads down to the bottomless pit.Then it opened the bottomless pit. Smoke came up from the hole like smoke from a big furnace. The sun and sky became dark because of the smoke from the hole.Then locusts came down to the earth out of the smoke. They were given the power to sting like scorpions. They were told not to harm the grass on the earth or any plant or tree. They could harm only the people who did not have the sign of God on their foreheads. These locusts were given the power to cause pain to the people for five months. But they were not given the power to kill anyone. And the pain they felt was like the pain that a scorpion gives when it stings a person. During those days people will look for a way to die, but they will not find it. They will want to die, but death will run away from them.
The locusts looked like horses prepared for battle. On their heads they wore things that looked like crowns of gold. Their faces looked like human faces. Their hair was like women’s hair, and their teeth were like lions’ teeth. Their chests looked like iron breastplates. The sound their wings made was like the noise of many horses and chariots hurrying into battle. The locusts had tails with stingers like scorpions. The power they had to hurt people for five months was in their tails. The locusts had a king who was the angel of the bottomless pit. His name in the Hebrew language is Abaddon. In the Greek language his name is Apollyon.
I wonder whether the drones be outfitted with hypodermic needles instead of bullets or explosives. Could the needles contain an agent of bioterrorism? Could the effects post attack be excruciating pain regardless of the source — toxin, bacteria, virus, fungus?
*runs and makes a tin foil hat*
