I Know Kung Fu...or at least in the future I will.

   The clip from "The Matrix," starring Keanu Reeves and Laurence Fishbourne, is a prime example of the type of technology that we, as a global society, seem to be heading towards.  Reeves's character, Neo, is hooked into a computer program that simulates real life and gives him the knowledge of the art of Kung Fu without his ever having learned it before.  Obviously, the idea is still far-reaching, but with video-gaming systems like XBox's Kinect, where a person's body is the remote, one can see how the future of gaming is all about being the player, rather than just playing with an avatar.  Physical science plays a large role in the development of such a Matrix-esque technology, as it requires mastery over the functions of the brain and its relationship to muscles...actually, the science of either side--computers and biology--escapes me, and it may be pointless for me to try to envision how this program would truly come into fruition.  But, it would be cool, because I definitely want to know Kung Fu.
   Questions abound, however, from the logistical perspective of a lifestyle entrenched in technology.  (The concept gives a whole new meaning to "screen time".)  What would become of us--a nation already plagued with an obesity epidemic and a huge disparity between the rich and the poor--if we should ever have the ability to learn instantaneously?  Could we take the concept a step further, and make it possible to retain the physical memory in the real world?  Who would have access to these types of programs?  Only the elite or people trained and monitored to use the knowledge responsibly?  What if everyone had access to it, and the criminally-inclined used it against the average, compliant citizens or even the police or military?  If access were limited, would greed seep even further into the veins and crevices of those in power, thereby returning our so-called civilized society back into a feudal-like state of existence, where the disenfranchised are indentured to the power mongers?  Sometimes, contemplating the coolest ideas quickly descends into imagining the nightmarish outcomes of playing God.
  In the end, though, I guess I'd be ok, because...I know Kung Fu.