The Breakthrough Effect Quotes

“As Orwell foresaw, you can only control and brainwash a population if you can monitor their every move and reach them all with propaganda. Those in power can now accomplish both more profoundly even than Orwell could have predicted.”
― Douglas E. Richards, The Breakthrough Effect: A Science-Fiction Thriller

“Parthenogenetic  reproduction.”
― Douglas E. Richards, The Breakthrough Effect: A Science-Fiction Thriller

“The American author Guy Murchie had another interesting perspective on the subject. And I quote: ‘If you were God, could you possibly dream up any more educational, contrasted, thrilling, beautiful, tantalizing world than Earth? If you think you could, do you imagine you would be outdoing Earth if you designed a world free of germs, diseases, poisons, pain, malice, explosives, and conflict—so its people could relax and enjoy it? Would you, in other words, try to make the world nice and safe? Or would you let it be provocative, dangerous, and exciting?”
― Douglas E. Richards, The Breakthrough Effect: A Science-Fiction Thriller

“Cooper grinned. “To be fair,” he replied, “it doesn’t even make perfect sense to us. But like I said, we have a theory. Anyway, to continue, in the fullness of non-time, this god came to realize he had a big problem. Somewhere in the infinity of non-space and non-time he came to appreciate a profound truth. If he was everything, then he was also nothing.”
― Douglas E. Richards, The Breakthrough Effect: A Science-Fiction Thriller

“So we’ve become a planet of sheep, just waiting to be brainwashed and manipulated. We don’t believe our own eyes and ears, and common sense is in rare supply. We only believe what we’re spoon-fed by the media and politicians. Or, in this case, by Oliver Scott. A man with an almost god-like ability to twist the truth like a pretzel. Bend it to his whim.”
― Douglas E. Richards, The Breakthrough Effect: A Science-Fiction Thriller

“So why would I take this on?” “To give yourself purpose again, a goal, which you sorely need. To challenge yourself against the best in the world to become truly elite. To live a life that’s both exciting and deeply meaningful. To use your once-in-a-generation talents to make a difference.”
― Douglas E. Richards, The Breakthrough Effect: A Science-Fiction Thriller

“we have all the tech we need for now. It’s already grown past the point that we can handle it psychologically. We’re bonding with our phones and computers instead of each other.”
― Douglas E. Richards, The Breakthrough Effect: A Science-Fiction Thriller

“On the surface, being a creature of perfect awareness, having perfect knowledge of all things, including what would happen next, seemed irresistible. But, paradoxically, it was a curse. It was the mystery of life, and overcoming difficult obstacles, that made existence so rich, so wonderful.”
― Douglas E. Richards, The Breakthrough Effect: A Science-Fiction Thriller

“In short, the universe is pure thought made real. Matter and energy don’t create the illusion of consciousness. Consciousness creates the illusion of matter and energy.”
― Douglas E. Richards, The Breakthrough Effect: A Science-Fiction Thriller

“The entire universe—hundreds of billions of galaxies each containing hundreds of billions of suns—is a single mind. In a way you can’t begin to fathom. The universe, and everything in it, comprises a single consciousness.”
― Douglas E. Richards, The Breakthrough Effect: A Science-Fiction Thriller

“Around the world, addiction has skyrocketed. And so has neurosis, psychosis, and depression. Along with anxiety, hatred, and divisiveness. We’ve become ever more polarized, ever more intolerant to points of view other than our own. We largely refuse to even listen to the other side of an argument. Corruption and selfishness are at epic levels. We can’t get out of our own way.”
― Douglas E. Richards, The Breakthrough Effect: A Science-Fiction Thriller

“Around the world, addiction has skyrocketed. And so has neurosis, psychosis, and depression. Along with anxiety, hatred, and divisiveness. We’ve become ever more polarized, ever more intolerant to points of view other than our own. We largely refuse to even listen to the other side of an argument. Corruption and selfishness are at epic levels. We can’t get out of our own way. “Our psyches didn’t evolve to handle our digital technology and social media, which have largely enslaved us. We’ve become bitter, divided, and venomous. Populations are falling. Free speech and democracy have become a mirage as tyranny and censorship rise in the shadows. “Societies around the world are living the parable of the boiled frog, who doesn’t jump from the pot as long as the heat is turned up gradually. Well, large swaths of humanity are remaining in the pot, and will stay there until they soon burst into flame. Largely unaware just how long the heat of oppression has been building. The powerful have turned our social media into a tool for mass brainwashing, for controlling every narrative. “Our quality of life is better than ever, yet our satisfaction with life is plummeting. We’re becoming lazy. Hedonistic. Materialistic. We’re losing our sense of spirituality. And human connection is at a low even as mass communication rises. Marriage is down, while loneliness and seclusion are up. Politicians stoke anger, perform in the theater of phony outrage, and demonize huge swaths of the population, willing to sacrifice the greater good for their own narcissism and pursuit of power.”
― Douglas E. Richards, The Breakthrough Effect: A Science-Fiction Thriller

“upon death life is reintegrated into the whole.”
― Douglas E. Richards, The Breakthrough Effect: A Science-Fiction Thriller

“Let me be sure I understand,” said Kim. “If everything in the universe, without exception, comprises a single consciousness. And you can bring us to this planet because we’re inside the mind of God. Then, by definition, we’re also part of this mind. Nothing exists that is separate from it.”
― Douglas E. Richards, The Breakthrough Effect: A Science-Fiction Thriller

“The entire universe—hundreds of billions of galaxies each containing hundreds of billions of suns—is a single mind. In a way you can’t begin to fathom. The universe, and everything in it, comprises a single consciousness. Not only does every last subatomic particle, quantum fluctuation, force, and iota of energy in the universe form this incomprehensible mind—everything that exists is also the product of it.”
― Douglas E. Richards, The Breakthrough Effect: A Science-Fiction Thriller

“The colonel blew out a long breath. “I was here for about an hour before you awoke. And as I was studying your file and gazing upon a beaten, wayward soul with staggering potential, I was struck by the uncanny similarities between you and the young James T. Kirk. From the reboot movie.” Eric made a face. “The psych ward is on another floor, Colonel.” Thomison laughed. “Very good. I deserved that. But let me elaborate. The movie hit theaters in 2009, when you were only five. I take it you’ve never streamed it.” “Good guess.” “Then you missed out. Not only did you remind me of that Kirk when I got here, but I realized I was about to recreate my favorite scene from the movie. So I’ll make you a deal. I’m convinced you can make a mark. One more profound than you can imagine right now. Be a bigger hero even than your father. You were destined for greatness, and that got derailed. But you can still arrive there by a different route. So watch about ten minutes of the movie. The opening scene and then a scene a little later. If you do that, and still want me gone, you’ll never see me again.” “You’re kidding, right? What, will I be hypnotized?” “No. But I think you’ll be moved. It’s a reboot, so the timeline differs from the original, while keeping key elements. In this version, James T. Kirk is about to be born on the starship Kelvin while his father is the first officer. That’s when an unstoppable Romulan ship from the future travels back through time and alters the timeline forever.” The colonel paused. “Watch ten minutes. That’s all I ask.” Eric thought about this for a moment and sighed. “It won’t”
― Douglas E. Richards, The Breakthrough Effect: A Science-Fiction Thriller

“For those with interest in this topic, I recommend reading a 2018 piece in Discover Magazine (easily found online), entitled, “Can Quantum Physics Explain Consciousness? One Scientist Thinks It Might.”
― Douglas E. Richards, The Breakthrough Effect: A Science-Fiction Thriller

“Less than a year earlier, Ostech, which stood for Oliver Scott Technologies, had come out with yet another breakthrough invention, a fully automated machine capable of boring tunnels at over half a mile per day, more than a hundred times faster than anything previously available. The machine used a dense array of plasma torches, burning at seventy thousand degrees Fahrenheit, to vaporize rock like it wasn’t even there, and had aptly been named the “Plasma Torch Seventy Thousand,” or PT-70K.”
― Douglas E. Richards, The Breakthrough Effect: A Science-Fiction Thriller

“cornucopia”
― Douglas E. Richards, The Breakthrough Effect: A Science-Fiction Thriller

“dead”
― Douglas E. Richards, The Breakthrough Effect: A Science-Fiction Thriller