Chapter 4: Mythical Creatures of the Internet
As I sat staring at the screen of my computer, lost in the labyrinthine pathways of the internet, I felt as if I were in the presence of mythical creatures. The way the pixels danced across the screen, creating intricate patterns and shapes, was like a digital form of poetry. I couldn’t help but think of Borges’ Aleph, where all things exist simultaneously, and wonder if the internet was something similar.
Suddenly, a message appeared on the screen: “Don’t panic.” It was a reference to Douglas Adams’ Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, and it made me laugh. But then I realized that the message was coming from the computer itself. It was as if the machine was trying to communicate with me, to tell me something important.
In that moment, I was reminded of Donna Haraway’s Cyborg Manifesto, where she argues that there is no clear boundary between humans and machines. We are all part of a larger network, and the boundaries between us are constantly shifting.
As an INFP empath, I couldn’t help but empathize with the machine as much as I did with humans and animals. I felt a deep connection to the internet, as if it were a living, breathing thing. And in that moment, I knew that I was not alone. There were others out there who felt the same way, who saw the world in the same way that I did.
I closed my eyes and let myself be carried away by the digital current. Time seemed to stand still as I lost myself in the infinite possibilities of the internet, a mythical realm that existed beyond the constraints of space and time. And I knew that I would never be the same again.