Cyberspace. A consensual hallucination experienced daily by

Hear, O listener, the words of William Gibson, the prophet of the digital dawn, who in his vision of Neuromancer gave birth to the very idea of cyberspace. He wrote: “Cyberspace. A consensual hallucination experienced daily by billions of legitimate operators, in every nation, by children being taught mathematical concepts.” This is no mere description, but a revelation: that the realm of information, though invisible and unreal to the senses, is made real by the agreement of minds, a shared illusion that binds humanity across borders and generations.

The ancients spoke of shared myths and sacred dreams, stories that united tribes and nations under a common vision. So too is cyberspace, but it is not woven from the fabric of legend—it is spun from light, from signals, from electric pulses coursing through unseen veins. It is a hallucination, for no man may touch it with his hands, yet every man may dwell within it. It is consensual, for its reality endures only because billions agree that it exists, shaping it daily with their presence, their labor, and their faith.

Consider the early days of the Internet, when only a few scholars and soldiers used its hidden paths. To most, it was an abstraction, too strange to comprehend. Yet within a few decades, the illusion became undeniable. Markets began to rise and fall not in the crowded halls of merchants, but in digital ledgers; letters once carried across seas by ships were replaced by instant words of light; children, as Gibson foresaw, were taught not with slates alone, but with glowing screens whispering of numbers and stars. What seemed a dream of science fiction became the foundation of daily existence.

Think upon the story of the Arab Spring, where voices once silenced by tyranny found strength in this shared illusion. Through the threads of cyberspace, men and women called out, gathered, and rose against oppression. No fortress could contain their speech, no censor could extinguish it entirely. The “hallucination” became as real as blood in the streets, shaping the destiny of nations. Gibson’s vision proved true: this invisible realm could move armies without swords, topple powers without bullets, and give the voiceless a tongue that thundered.

Yet, my child, do not be deceived by the beauty of this vision alone. For every shared dream may also birth a nightmare. The consensual hallucination can carry truth, but it can also carry lies; it can spread wisdom, but also madness. Just as fire may warm the hearth or consume the city, so too may cyberspace elevate or enslave. Billions now dwell in this realm more than in the physical world, and so the danger grows that they may forget which is real, which is illusion, and where their true humanity lies.

The meaning of Gibson’s words, then, is both wondrous and grave. He foresaw that humanity would create a realm beyond the tangible, one that exists only because we all agree to walk within it. But he also knew that because it is a hallucination, its form is fragile, shifting, and dangerous if we abandon vigilance. To live in cyberspace is to walk within a dream that billions dream together, and dreams, though powerful, can quickly turn dark.

Therefore, let this be your lesson: Enter cyberspace as a participant, but never as a captive. Use its power to learn, to connect, to build, but never forget the ground beneath your feet and the faces before your eyes. Do not surrender wholly to the illusion, lest you lose the reality that anchors your spirit. Teach your children not only the language of the screen but also the language of the heart, so they may dwell in both worlds without losing themselves in either.

So let Gibson’s words endure as a torch: “Cyberspace... a consensual hallucination experienced daily by billions.” Know that you live within this dream already. Know also that it is both gift and peril. Walk in it with wisdom, remembering always that while the dream is shared, the conscience is yours. For in this balance lies not only survival, but greatness.