Jim,
Before I get into the meat of my commentary I wanted to provide a joke regarding your "talk me to your leader" rant, specifically for the gas station portion. What if the martian was saying "Take me to your liter"? Maybe he needed fuel!
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We, as humans, are programmed from birth to age 6 to 8 or so, due to the subconscious mind-sponge that is required to learn cultural skills in an easy going manner.
Over the course of our lives we have opportunities to realize this and then to attempt to reprogram ourselves to our liking and desires. It can be challenging, yet it is a possibility.
Our bodies are electrical in nature, hence the battery reference in The Matrix movies.
Even though we may not understand something, it doesn't mean that it can't exist. Who is to say that robots aren't able to achieve this same type of wisdom and self-awareness to start reprogramming themselves based on their previous experiences?
Have a great day, and may the dream live on! Reggie