CHAPTER 1

A HIDDEN WORLD ON DISPLAY |
Hiding in Plain Sight

The best way to hide is in plain sight. Yes, it is happening right now. Your cell phone, your smart device, your TV, your social media – virtually everything that we take for granted today is “paying attention” and recording your every move. For example, did you know that the information on your phone is being collected by a bunch of entities? They are! Some try to sell you stuff, some others do it because they really want to get to know you better – and I do not mean it necessarily in an amicable way. This is why this method of concealment is so effective. What makes our lives feel normal is what also makes us vulnerable to exploitation. Does that mean that you must go out of the bounds of society and live in the wild? No, it does not. What it means is that we must learn to pay attention to our surroundings so we can enact objectivity and critical thinking.

It sounds terrible but we are all for sale – the problem is that most of us do not realize that we have already been bought and sold. Yeah, I know a hell of a way to start Chapter #1, huh? Did that opening line get your attention? Good! Because it is true. And being bought and sold happens every single day. For example, if you are using a “free” app in social media it is because YOU are the actual product. Your personal identity and private information are being bought and sold all the time. How and why do you think it is that you get all that junk mail and spam phone calls?

How does it work? Simple while paradoxically complex. Freedom is a relative term. It can be defined by having certain rights and privileges depending on the society you live in. For example, the United States of America has a bill of rights. Not every country has the same set of rights, and some have no rights at all. As you can deduce, freedom is very relative.

In the Unites States of America you have “Free Speech” as one of your unmovable rights. Can you just say whatever the hell you want? No, you cannot. There are limits to what you can or cannot say based on how this might infringe on the rights of others, or if it would affect public safety, or misconstrued in a negative manner that could cause or inflict actual damage onto others.

For example, you cannot just yell “fire” in a crowded movie theater if there is not an actual fire burning. Why? Because that would create panic, and this panic could result in people getting trampled down as they are trying to save their lives when they exit this place. Likewise, you cannot just speak in a derogatory or accusatory manner about somebody for alleged misconduct if you do not have proof to corroborate your claim. Otherwise, you might get hammered for slander or defamation – depending on the degree of your allegation. Defamation might be hard to prove in court, but it could happen – and the legal fees tend to be expensive either way. Bottom line, there are consequences for our actions.

But despite the consequences, there are always shades of gray. A shrewd person can read between the lines and collect a lot of information that they could use to their advantage. That does not mean that those collecting this information against a specific targeted person will be expecting instant gratification. On the contrary, it is best to “plant a seed” and harvest once this targeted soul has lowered their guard. It happens all the time. It is a mind game, and a very multidimensional game at that.

That is another reason why hiding in plain sight is so effective. We take for granted a lot of what is going on in front of our eyes. Especially if what it is on display seems mundane or “not obviously out of place.” This is important, because the human mind has limitations on how much we perceive everything in our own environment.

It is almost like a riddle or a puzzle – one that you did not even know you were playing as an integral contributing fragment. In other words, the game being played upon you does not even register as such because you are not a player, you are only a token piece, much like chip or a pawn. Does it sound messed-up? It is and get used to it because this book is only getting started. At the end of this you will be hyper aware of the reality around you that we generally take for granted.

So, you might be wondering, how does this happen? As I mentioned before, our minds do not process everything that goes through our senses. In essence, our minds make “logical shortcuts” to distinguish patterns, and then our brains fill in the gaps. It is in these gaps that a skilled puppet master can infiltrate all kinds of thoughts and actions without you even realizing it. It can be so subtle that it becomes part of your own identity, and these can even hype your convictions towards this alternated version of your reality. Much like an illusionist can use tricks and misdirection to cheat your perception – similar but to a much more complex scale and execution.

Humans evolved to figure out patterns in their surroundings as a method of understanding what could affect their tenure on the planet. Much like other animals that instinctively behave in ways that seem pre-programmed without anybody “teaching them” or “demonstrating” to them what to do. For example, sea turtles. As soon as the egg hatches on the sandy beach, the baby turtles instinctively make their way to the sea. Nobody is giving them a lecture or a brief about the perils or benefits of this behavior. They are just programmed to do this from the moment they breathe the air outside their eggs. And off they go to the water.

Examples of instincts are virtually available for any animal. And of course, human beings are scientifically considered rational animals. This rationality sometimes seems to overwrite our instinctual understanding of the world. And in the blurred line between instinct and rationality is where a skilled puppet master can infiltrate all kinds of new “programming” and drive troves of people to behave in a particular manner. In fact, did you know that you can implant false memories in a person’s mind if persuaded skillfully enough? It is fascinating, and it is part of our evolutionary process.

And yes, evolution is real. People do not “believe in evolution” – people either understand evolution or they do not. Just like you do not “believe in gravity” – you hopefully understand gravity. For those who do not if they would leap off, let us say a bridge, they will not only figure out that gravity is very real, but also that it is not the fall what injures or kills them but the sudden stop. #Science #Physics

This is another reason why propaganda is so powerful. Facts have been hijacked by unfounded opinions. And when this type of rhetoric gets enough traction, it confuses the crap out of those who lack full context and understanding for a particular subject. It does not even matter what the subject is. It could be politics, religion, save the planet, save the children, women vs. men, likes, needs, etc. The purpose of propaganda is to divide groups and galvanize those like-minded into a determinate action. Action does not need to be immediate. These seeds will be planted and harvested in due time. That method is more powerful, because it takes time to reinforce itself as an integral part of everyone targeted. That is why you will hear me say over and over throughout this book to pay attention to detail and understand context. There is a very valid reason for this redundancy.

As we age, our mind will continue to change and evolve. Notice that I did not say “as we mature.” Age alone does not equal maturity – though some people would find these terms are synonymous. They are not, and propagandists will be very happy to exploit those naïve enough to think they have it all figured out. It is part of the game, getting people smart enough to do specific bidding but dumb enough to be blind to their own reality. Those are the optimal ripe grounds for propagandists who want to manipulate others. And yes, many people are extremely naïve and willfully ignorant.

Espionage occurs in every aspect of our lives. Corporate espionage is an example. But there is one factor in espionage that is even much closer to all of us. This is called “privilege escalation.” Your phone and smart devices have something known as a “backdoor.” This is an access that is either programmed by the developer of an app or a device, or a vulnerability that is found by a person savvy enough to breach through the coding for said device. A backdoor would not be unlike administrative rights given to an information technician who manages an electronic account.

In other words, the user might get a version that is quite limited, but the administrator has a lot more access power. Some of these backdoors are legally installed in virtually every smart device you own today. But they can also be overwritten by somebody who knows how to manipulate those devices. What most of us do not realize is that we “trust” seemingly anonymous...