"Control over information, control over the = presentation=20 of reality is the only issue. Not the battle over the people's opinions, = but the=20 battle over the very perception of life. Our society is geared towards = dealing=20 with the descriptions of the appearance, the surface, not with = multidimensional=20 reality. Look at the media- to take an obvious illustration, when a bomb = drops=20 on Baghdad we are presented with a map and a politician explaining why = the bomb=20 was dropped. The map and the politician are the news. We are not torn in = half,=20 we do not bleed. The reportage becomes the reality in itself, the = hyper-reality=20 that we are asked to perceive as being 'real'. No matter how concerned = or aware=20 one is, life is presented, and largely experienced, as a series of=20 reflections of reflections, vanishing into infinity. That may go some = way to=20 explaining why there is a widespread feeling that there is some lack of = reality,=20 some lack of direction in people's lives. Being sane is looking at the = same=20 reflection as everyone else and agreeing that it is real. That is, not a = reflection. Not its reverse. That may be why, as a society, we are quite = mad." &n= bsp; =20 simon dwyer