A Grand Campaign of Remoralization We live in a world of rapid evolution, of change so profound and systemic that it often outpaces our ability to grasp its impact fully. Our technological advances outstripped our philosophical and ethical frameworks long ago and we have yet to grasp the full scope of these transformations, or to lay out comprehensive strategies for navigating them with integrity and purpose. We find ourselves in a time when questions of morality, of what it means to lead an ethical life, are not merely abstract philosophical quandaries, but urgent practical necessities. For each of us, a struggle with these questions on a personal level must form the backbone of a larger shared pursuit – what I want to call a grand campaign of remoralization – that we all need to engage in, and better sooner rather than later. Too often in this perpetually new normal, power is wielded without accountability, influence is exerted without wisdom, and advantage is accrued without responsibility. We see forces at work that, while not necessarily intrinsically malicious, nonetheless have the potential to cause harm not only to those they wish to influence or attack, but also to the very foundations of humanity's collective capital making large scale cooperation possible in the first place. In our connected society, the internet has opened up vast domains of knowledge and potential for growth, both in the economic and moral sense. Yet, in some corners, it's become a breeding ground not merely for simple self-interest but an active disregard for the impulse to construct, to build up, to create the commons that better everyone's lives. From shadowy corporations exploiting our digital footprints for profit to ideologically driven collectives hijacking public discourses without even a shred of interest in reciprocal exchange, the challenges are manifold. We are faced with the wide open frontier of digitally based neuroprogramming, with its potential to reshape our minds and hearts and our very being in ways we're just beginning to understand. Yet, it is crucial that we not succumb to despair or cynicism. For in this landscape, there is also extraordinary potential for competence, for calm, for the cultivation of a much less fragile and still highly connected culture capable of daring feats as grand as or even eclipsing "the man on the moon". This is not a fight against a single person, policy, or political party, but rather a struggle for the soul of our digital civilization and the separate nations it houses. You are not powerless. You are not voiceless. You can make choices. You can take actions. Each one of us, in our unique way, may not yet be but very much so can still become a player in this grand campaign of remoralization. It starts with awareness, with recognizing the forces at work, with understanding the implications of our digital behaviors, and with an open and critical examination of the kinds of people we must be and the kinds of responsibilities we must shoulder that can hold up a free, productive, and lawful internet, and with it a world that relies on this kind of internet to demonstrate the very same properties in the world of atoms. We can start by rejecting the idea that the digital domain is a realm devoid of morality, law, and accountability. Like any other commons, it is constructed through shared effort and it will be sustained the same way. We must make it afford for the full spectrum of qualities that the physical world affords its biological inhabitants: sustenance, feedback, give & take, friend & foe, freedom & folly, anonymity & accountability, excellence & egalitarianism, king & country, and the rest of that other kind of diversity so critical to a functioning ecosystem of organisms pursuing their ends and testing their means. We must also cultivate antifragility, digital hygiene, and an internal compass to guide us amid the dizzying whirl of information, disinformation, and misinformation. We must arm ourselves with critical thinking, with skepticism towards simplistic narratives, with an unquenchable thirst for truth and the skill to demand and reveal it wherever we turn. Finally, we need to hold those with power and influence accountable. From corporate entities to collectives and individuals who shape our digital experiences, it's up to us to not just insist on transparency, integrity, and respect for our rights as digital citizens, but to create, use, and defend the means that guarantee us this experience. This grand campaign of remoralization is not a battle to be won in a day, a month, or even a year. It's an ongoing process, a journey, a marathon without end rather than a sprint with a finish line within reach. It requires patience, perseverance, and a deep-seated knowledge of the mechanics of and limits to the construction of a global computational commons. But it's a journey we need to embark on, a campaign we need to join, for the sake of our individual and collective futures worth sacrificing for. The call isn't to be heroes; it's to commit yourself to the eternal battle for the best that each moment holds, to muster the courage to say something when you see something, to take responsibility for what is within your influence and to aim at the growth of what you can reasonably demonstrate responsibility for. So, join this grand campaign. Not because you've been called out, but because you recognize the necessity of the fight. Because you know that "Nature and Nature's God works in mysterious ways" and that its favorite tool is us. "Our acts our angels are, or good or ill, Our fatal shadows that walk by us still." ~ John Fletcher Let's put our collective shoulder to the wheel and set the digital sphere onto a path that respects our humanity and reflects our better angels.