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You Are A Gadget

Barton Hill

    Our scientists, doctors, and staff know our clients do not choose their burdens. Rather, society is responsible for manipulating each person’s actions and thoughts in order to fit its predetermined ideals and beliefs into a nice tidy package.
    The problem lies in whether or not society is corrupt. After all, if one’s environment is corrupt, then by definition, so is their society. Or to put it another way: one is the product of their surroundings.
    I like to think of the procedures performed at this facility to be a bit like the Biblical story of Lott and his family. God warned Lott of the coming destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah and told them to flee. Commanding the family to leave everything behind and not look back. In much the same way we allow our patients to leave their actions in the past. Perhaps we are a bit like God in that each of us here at the facility possesses a God-like quality.
    Getting to the point: treatment is made available to those whom are in need of reformation. After all, everyone wants a healthy society as well as healthy people. We can not allow one bad apple to ruin the bushel.
    Over the course of centuries every form of prescribed treatment has been performed in an effort to rehabilitate the individual by ridding them of their mental illness. Several treatments were extreme and barbaric such as: lobotomies, sweat lodges, hallucinogens or electroshock therapy. Whichever approach was taken the objective was to reintegrate the person into mainstream society.
    I find it strange that previous societies would force these inhumane treatments on their patient and yet expect their subject’s behavior to result in conforming to societal norms.
    Thank heaven we have advanced beyond those cruel days. We now use less intrusive medical procedures to achieve desired goals. The best solution we have yet developed is DNA modification.
    The process allows us to rectify all sorts of mental health issues. We can remove evil, of course, which is why you are here. But, in order to do so we first had to reach a consensus as to what constituted an evil action. No need to be ashamed, Sir. After all, the actions you engaged in were due to your insecurities conflicting with bouts of rage. Later on you would experience deep feelings of remorse and regret.
    Please allow me to describe a bit about your pending treatment.
    Not long ago DNA modification was used in the embryonic stages of life for a variety of reasons. The most obvious uses were to determine one’s height, eye color, gender or sexuality. More recently we have had great success manipulating strands of DNA in a similar way that vaccines are used to attack viruses.
    For the first time in humanity’s existence an overwhelming majority of genetic engineers and scientists worked cooperatively to make an idealistic philosophy realizable. We emphasized society while de-emphasizing the individual. Further, we realized that we could not sustain individuality. Thus, we evolved into what philosophers and anthropologists describe as a Hive society. Of course, we are not a true Hive. There is no queen bee, so to speak. We are all simply masters of our domain by being of service to one another.
    Or, perhaps to describe more clearly. The Hive had sweeping effects on society. The easiest example to explain are the effects seen in advertising.
    You may recall that the objective of advertising is to persuade potential consumers to purchase a specific product. But, in order for advertising to be effective, indeed for capitalism to exist, society must have some form of currency or money in order to transact an exchange for goods.
    During the Age of Capitalism there existed great divisions amongst the populace. There were those whom had amassed great wealth and those who were poor.
    As technology progressed, many manufactured items became so abundantly plentiful that they eventually lost any inherent value. Therefore, they became free to anyone desiring the item.
    Debatedly, philosophers of the time claimed that society had now evolved into a pure socialist state. Money was no longer of any value, and without the artificial constraints of currency as being a measure of wealth— all of society was able to maintain a sustainable living. We all shared in the fruits of our labor with everyone else. Even so, this social phenomena did not bode well for artists, musicians, or any other creative types of individuals. After all, if every manufactured item is to be made available for the benefit of society, then creative types will eventually find it very difficult to earn a living if their creations are made freely available to the Hive.
    So, in order to keep an open culture alive, a handful of sacrifices had to be made. One of these sacrifices, or “limiters”, explains why you were brought to our facility.
    But, I want to assure you that after your procedure you will not wind up in some sort of mental vegetative state as many patients did in those ghastly days of lobotomies or electroshock therapy. Nor will you become what the philosophers of old once called zombies.
    Of course, these weren’t the flesh eating zombies as seen in the old horror movies. Nor was a zombie anyone who could not think for him or herself.
    Rather, a zombie was any person who did not possess free will and were not conscious of their environment. The irony was that zombies were not recognizable to one another, nor were they able to perceive nonzombies as being different from themselves. Only nonzombies could differentiate the zombie from a nonzombie.
    At the time, skeptics though any Hive society would have to be composed of only zombie creations. Those skeptics thought there would be no room for individuality, free thinking or free will. But, as you will soon see those attitudes were filled with nonsense and absurdist thinking.
    Certainly, every member of our society is limited to some degree. One’s limitation might be physical or mental. For instance, some people are more creative than others. Or some may excel in sports or in medicine.
    Mr. Lanier, I want to assure you that the only manipulation this facility is concerned with is in treating people who possess unacceptable behaviors. That, if allowed to continue will be detrimental to society. That is the only reason you have been brought here.
    We. Us. Everyone around you simply can not allow you to continue manufacturing these objects you call instruments that make this noise you call music.

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