Tool of Technology - Short Story
Jan 3, 2018 11:55:48 GMT -6
texican, freebirde, and 3 more like this
Post by solo on Jan 3, 2018 11:55:48 GMT -6
I don’t know what day of the week it is. I haven’t known for some time. Before, I lived my life through electronic media. Now, I keep trying to convince myself that I will meet someone who knows. I am not certain that I will ever know again and that makes me very sad.
Before, I kept up with everything on my IPhone; the date, what I ate, who was doing what to whom, my family and friends. For that matter, I didn’t even own a watch. Time is another convenience that I have little knowledge of, now. I only know night and day. I guess I am able to tell somewhat the time of year based on the seasons. Though, where I am staying now, there isn’t much of a season. It is hot or not so hot.
Funny thing, I never really worried about time or any facet of time before. I didn’t worry too much about punctuality. Now, I miss punctuality. Before, I also didn’t fixate on certain days of the week. For me there was no weekend, just another two days to work. Life lived where I was happened to happen daily, regardless of the day of the week. There was always something to be done, animals to be fed and cared for, things breaking down.
Constructs such as dates, time and even money are all man made constructs anyway. Who needs such things when you have a tangible existence? Especially the type of tangibles that lead to safety, living, and a richness in life few saw before then. Those construct certainly held a lot more meaning before then and afterwards, those constructs were proven to be the fakes that they actually were. Afterwards, what really mattered regained focus. Electronics didn’t matter. Power didn’t matter. Structured society didn’t matter. Or did it? Probably not with the drastic population reduction.
All that really matters now is the here and now. Not what can be. Certainly not what was.
What was built up turned into what became in one fail swoop. Everything changed. What society didn’t understand is that nothing stopped changing. Change always happens. But when society leans too heavily on a construct that is really fluid, mistaking it as a fact or a constant, then when that construct returns to a state of homeostatic balance, well, then there will be an effect. It can be a minimal effect or it can be catastrophic. Before, people didn’t understand this. Now, whoever is left gets it. In time, I fear this lesson will be forgotten as well.
When before became now, there was a lot of uncertainty. This was felt greatest by those who lived a life propped up by technology. Indeed, my father spoke of his childhood in the Great Depression of the early 1900’s. He stated that when the market tanked, his family was so poor and self-sufficient, they hardly felt it. This time though, it wasn’t a Black Friday. It was the great extinction. And again, those few who made it through didn’t rely heavily on manmade constructs, but on constructs of self-sufficiency, family, and living in the here and now. Billions weren’t so fortunate. And the Earth is headed back to it homeostatic position.
Until the next time.
Funny the things that comes to mind when you are staring down the wrong end of what has to be one of the world’s last “Peacemakers”. It was an old AR type weapon of indeterminate type. When they were popular, they had become so that one looked like the two or three basic types. Let’s just agree that at that moment, I wasn’t really that concerned about what type of AR it was.
“Friend.” I snickered when the unkempt semblance of a man called me that. I mean, he was neither my friend nor trying to be friendly. All I know is that I was looking at the wrong end of an AR. “You look awfully good to be living in such times. Seems you haven’t missed any meals at all.”
“I haven’t. Why should I?” We were about two miles down a wash from my homestead in the mountains. My woman (the construct of marriage is nonexistent now, she calls me her man just the same) and I chose wisely when times were good. We have a hidden oasis, carefully managed to maximize sun exposures, growing opportunities and fodder for livestock, though all we have are the goats and the chickens. We put up for the after when it was still before.
“You seem pretty sure of yourself. You think your better than me?” The wraith hacked out.
“No, Sir. I just know you are playing with a losing hand.”
“A losing hand? No I don’t think so. I have the rifle, you just have that staff looking thing.” The man paused. “Now, how about you take me to where you have your stores and I will just fatten myself right on up.”
“You seem to put a lot of faith in a tool of technology. A technology that ceased to exist. And one that wasn’t too reliable in recent times.”
The made the man snicker. “What know you of technology? You even talk like you think you are better than me.”
“Sir, I am no better than anyone. I simply made decisions based upon true facts that propped me up regardless of good times or bad. To me there is no difference. To you, technology told you a lie and you believed it.”
This stopped the man. It showed that he did have some intelligence about him. But, he was still operating with the base layer of his brain. He pulled the trigger. And what happened is exactly what I thought would happen. Nothing.
He looked down at the weapon as if it were a lover that had betrayed him. Indeed it may have, but he didn’t realize it for what it was. A Band-Aid for the true root cause of his soon to be short life. It was his trust in a tool of technology that led to his downfall.
Before he looked back up, I had used my staff to knock the wind out of him and to sweep his feet. He fell hard and looked up at me gasping. I put the end of the staff into the small of his neck, right against his windpipe. He looked up at me dazed as he was having a difficult time catching his breath.
“Friend.” I returned the favor. “You seem to have lost your way a little. With some ingenuity and effort, you could be okay. I do know if I see you in this area again, you will not survive it.”
“How.” He managed to eke out.
“I didn’t see your weapon wasn’t going to fire. I just knew it wasn’t. I don’t know, it may be the fact that it wasn’t cared for, with rust around the barrel and the magazine didn’t budge when you bumped it. I bet it is rusted up in there something bad. Either way, I knew it wouldn’t be an issue. What was the issue was what was between your ears.”
The man just looked back still not quite getting his breath.
“You see, what you don’t realize is that I have watched you for the last two days. I saw how you were sloppy in everything you did. From your bathroom rituals, to your eating rituals, and all the way to your lack of noise discipline. You see? You fooled yourself into your own invincibility because you had in your hand a tool of technology. You didn’t learn your lesson about technology when the power went out. Or when millions died because their medical support ended with the power. Or the other millions that died when their transportation failed them or as in your case, your pseudo-defensive/attack measures failed. You didn’t learn before, I don’t expect you to now. But the reality for you is that this is your only chance. Now I am going to put you to sleep and I am going to take you somewhere far away.” He bent over and looped the belted loop over the man’s head and began to tighten. “When you wake up, you will have a small sack with some basics to get you started. The rest is up to you.”
“Why are you doing this?” The haggard man asked.
“Because I know you know how.” He paused. “And because I know who you are as I know you know me, though you were counting on your emaciated anonymity. Family takes care of family. And that weapon hasn’t been able to fire since our father dropped it into the creek that time, Brother.”
With that the belt tightened. His brother went to sleep and woke up about five hours later. He didn’t recognize his surroundings, but had a new lease on life.
- The End
Before, I kept up with everything on my IPhone; the date, what I ate, who was doing what to whom, my family and friends. For that matter, I didn’t even own a watch. Time is another convenience that I have little knowledge of, now. I only know night and day. I guess I am able to tell somewhat the time of year based on the seasons. Though, where I am staying now, there isn’t much of a season. It is hot or not so hot.
Funny thing, I never really worried about time or any facet of time before. I didn’t worry too much about punctuality. Now, I miss punctuality. Before, I also didn’t fixate on certain days of the week. For me there was no weekend, just another two days to work. Life lived where I was happened to happen daily, regardless of the day of the week. There was always something to be done, animals to be fed and cared for, things breaking down.
Constructs such as dates, time and even money are all man made constructs anyway. Who needs such things when you have a tangible existence? Especially the type of tangibles that lead to safety, living, and a richness in life few saw before then. Those construct certainly held a lot more meaning before then and afterwards, those constructs were proven to be the fakes that they actually were. Afterwards, what really mattered regained focus. Electronics didn’t matter. Power didn’t matter. Structured society didn’t matter. Or did it? Probably not with the drastic population reduction.
All that really matters now is the here and now. Not what can be. Certainly not what was.
What was built up turned into what became in one fail swoop. Everything changed. What society didn’t understand is that nothing stopped changing. Change always happens. But when society leans too heavily on a construct that is really fluid, mistaking it as a fact or a constant, then when that construct returns to a state of homeostatic balance, well, then there will be an effect. It can be a minimal effect or it can be catastrophic. Before, people didn’t understand this. Now, whoever is left gets it. In time, I fear this lesson will be forgotten as well.
When before became now, there was a lot of uncertainty. This was felt greatest by those who lived a life propped up by technology. Indeed, my father spoke of his childhood in the Great Depression of the early 1900’s. He stated that when the market tanked, his family was so poor and self-sufficient, they hardly felt it. This time though, it wasn’t a Black Friday. It was the great extinction. And again, those few who made it through didn’t rely heavily on manmade constructs, but on constructs of self-sufficiency, family, and living in the here and now. Billions weren’t so fortunate. And the Earth is headed back to it homeostatic position.
Until the next time.
Funny the things that comes to mind when you are staring down the wrong end of what has to be one of the world’s last “Peacemakers”. It was an old AR type weapon of indeterminate type. When they were popular, they had become so that one looked like the two or three basic types. Let’s just agree that at that moment, I wasn’t really that concerned about what type of AR it was.
“Friend.” I snickered when the unkempt semblance of a man called me that. I mean, he was neither my friend nor trying to be friendly. All I know is that I was looking at the wrong end of an AR. “You look awfully good to be living in such times. Seems you haven’t missed any meals at all.”
“I haven’t. Why should I?” We were about two miles down a wash from my homestead in the mountains. My woman (the construct of marriage is nonexistent now, she calls me her man just the same) and I chose wisely when times were good. We have a hidden oasis, carefully managed to maximize sun exposures, growing opportunities and fodder for livestock, though all we have are the goats and the chickens. We put up for the after when it was still before.
“You seem pretty sure of yourself. You think your better than me?” The wraith hacked out.
“No, Sir. I just know you are playing with a losing hand.”
“A losing hand? No I don’t think so. I have the rifle, you just have that staff looking thing.” The man paused. “Now, how about you take me to where you have your stores and I will just fatten myself right on up.”
“You seem to put a lot of faith in a tool of technology. A technology that ceased to exist. And one that wasn’t too reliable in recent times.”
The made the man snicker. “What know you of technology? You even talk like you think you are better than me.”
“Sir, I am no better than anyone. I simply made decisions based upon true facts that propped me up regardless of good times or bad. To me there is no difference. To you, technology told you a lie and you believed it.”
This stopped the man. It showed that he did have some intelligence about him. But, he was still operating with the base layer of his brain. He pulled the trigger. And what happened is exactly what I thought would happen. Nothing.
He looked down at the weapon as if it were a lover that had betrayed him. Indeed it may have, but he didn’t realize it for what it was. A Band-Aid for the true root cause of his soon to be short life. It was his trust in a tool of technology that led to his downfall.
Before he looked back up, I had used my staff to knock the wind out of him and to sweep his feet. He fell hard and looked up at me gasping. I put the end of the staff into the small of his neck, right against his windpipe. He looked up at me dazed as he was having a difficult time catching his breath.
“Friend.” I returned the favor. “You seem to have lost your way a little. With some ingenuity and effort, you could be okay. I do know if I see you in this area again, you will not survive it.”
“How.” He managed to eke out.
“I didn’t see your weapon wasn’t going to fire. I just knew it wasn’t. I don’t know, it may be the fact that it wasn’t cared for, with rust around the barrel and the magazine didn’t budge when you bumped it. I bet it is rusted up in there something bad. Either way, I knew it wouldn’t be an issue. What was the issue was what was between your ears.”
The man just looked back still not quite getting his breath.
“You see, what you don’t realize is that I have watched you for the last two days. I saw how you were sloppy in everything you did. From your bathroom rituals, to your eating rituals, and all the way to your lack of noise discipline. You see? You fooled yourself into your own invincibility because you had in your hand a tool of technology. You didn’t learn your lesson about technology when the power went out. Or when millions died because their medical support ended with the power. Or the other millions that died when their transportation failed them or as in your case, your pseudo-defensive/attack measures failed. You didn’t learn before, I don’t expect you to now. But the reality for you is that this is your only chance. Now I am going to put you to sleep and I am going to take you somewhere far away.” He bent over and looped the belted loop over the man’s head and began to tighten. “When you wake up, you will have a small sack with some basics to get you started. The rest is up to you.”
“Why are you doing this?” The haggard man asked.
“Because I know you know how.” He paused. “And because I know who you are as I know you know me, though you were counting on your emaciated anonymity. Family takes care of family. And that weapon hasn’t been able to fire since our father dropped it into the creek that time, Brother.”
With that the belt tightened. His brother went to sleep and woke up about five hours later. He didn’t recognize his surroundings, but had a new lease on life.
- The End
