Individuality is marketable. Mass production ensures us we can look different enough to assure ourselves we are unique. Yet the sameness of our garments allows us to integrate with our peers, slip quickly into cliques and survive. It is the white blood cells job to dispose of intruders in the body, this is the fate of anyone who is considered ‘foreign’ in a group of people. If they don’t fit perfectly they are discarded, chased out and left behind.
Social media tries to replace the community we have lost, connecting us with invisible ties. Dramas are played out in a public space, while it is claimed that this space belongs to everyone. Yet-much like the rest of the world-it is owned by the few. So, we settle for the shallow remains of relationships which are reliant upon the mechanical sequences we go through to reach the conclusion…that everything is fine. Our life is a pantomime, our stage is a box created by coding and hyperlinks that trap us within double meaning and recycled thought.
Our life is a pantomime, our stage is a box created by coding and hyperlinks that trap us within double meaning and recycled thought.
We can learn of the mundane tasks completed on a regular basis. All this prepares us for the reality of work which involves performing the same exercise over and again until we don’t die inside. It is enough stimulation that your mind remains active, but you become tired. Too tired to fight or remember the idea of freedom.
Fortunately for us the recession means we are no longer affluent enough to buy the con. Are we free or not? If not, what is the point of it all? If we only work so that someone else benefits, are we still grateful?
Yet in the corner of a manufactured world people still exist who hold the belief that the search for change should never be abandoned. They teach us that a person is never an island and must reach out to others, sharing their ideas. Only then can the world innovate and become more habitable for all human beings.