Are we that far removed from the Hive?

A world unto its own. I was down at the Mayo Clinic this last week several times with my nephew (he’s doing well). The Mayo Clinic is a very sophisticated venture. Their efficiency and expertise is clearly top notch. But what struck me as inspiring was the physical layout.

A labyrinth of buildings connected by skyways and subways: modern, monitored and controlled. My sister said it looked like a spaceport. My nephew said it reminded him of The Hive from “Resident Evil,” either the movie or the video game.

It did feel like The Hive, especially when we were subterranean. I though the notion was a little unsettling. My nephew didn’t seem to be concerned at all about the blending of fiction and reality. He has become comfortable with the genesis of what is the beginning of a new reality.

I suppose places that become cities unto themselves are nothing new. All kinds of corporations have campuses and compounds and complexes that are microcosms of their surrounding cultures. And of course there is the whole world of digital civilizations, either specifically designed (Second Life or Sims) or organically grown subcultures.

Perhaps this is good indoctrination for when we all have to live under Biodomes. Thousands and thousands of self-contained cities. Highly controlled cities. Since all resources will be at a premium access to them will be controlled. Any activities that expend these limited resources will be controlled. Your activities and consumption will be monitored. You will be told what is and is not acceptable behavior for the greater good and continuance of the species.

Wait. That doesn’t sound all that far-fetched. This wouldn’t even make good science fiction. It sounds more like an inevitability.

Are we perilously close to a world where too many people are already willing to hand over difficult choices to someone else? Free will is already a subject of debate. Why not just give in to determinism? I am sure there are pros and cons.

Perhaps. But there are always those who will resist. It’s in our natures. We all just have different thresholds. What’s your threshold?