Dear Past Life

[gL.edu] This article gathers contributions by Lisa Borges, developed within the context of the Conceptual clarifications about "Utopias and the Information Society", under the supervisión of J.M. Díaz Nafría.

Dear Past Life

She was born as the last member in a family where cohesion, security and love is the highest commandment. As a child she had no worries and no existential fears. As a child she was allowed to spend her time in kindergarten which had many trees, an huge ship-like playground and multiple activities. Afterwards she was always picked up by her mom or dad and at home she was allowed to continue playing undisturbed until it was time to eat dinner or get ready for bed. Most days were happy days, because she could do and play what she wanted, she saw her friends every day and experienced love and security every day. Her time in kindergarten was the best time of her life, not only because everything was new and exciting, but also because most adventures happened. Every day was special. Once she was woken up by her mother and brought to kindergarten when she realized that it was her birthday. At home, someone had decorated everything colorful. There were balloons all over, Happy Birthday confetti and a huge Benjamin Blümchen cake, which was her favorite. Her family was seated at the table and sung her a birthday song. She was incredibly happy and was thrilled with her gifts. She couldn't wait to go to kindergarten and celebrate her birthday with her friends, because they always organized a huge birthday party for the birthday child. Her mother had also baked cupcakes for the kids in kindergarten and prepared little gift bags with sweets for everyone.

Unfortunately, she did not know that that would be her last birthday party at kindergarten. The government dictates that she is now old enough to go to school. She never wanted to leave kindergarten, so she was deeply sadden when her last day in kindergarten came to an end. Her family tried to motivate and inspire her to go to school. They would say, that there would only be more adventures waiting for her and at the same time she would get to know many new things. For her, the motivation and enthusiasm was limited. She did not trust the whole thing.

But the time came for her to go to school. At first she missed her kindergarten friends incredibly, but it was not difficult for her to make new friends with whom she spent her breaks. One new friend even lived on the same street as her. She became her new best friend. For the next few years, the two spent a lot of time together, whether on the way to school or back home, on vacations or weekends, the two were inseparable.  However, after four years, the two were separated again. The school path separated the two of them. They went to different schools because their achievements were different. She was good at science and her best friend was better at languages. However, that meant she had to start all over again. New school, new friends and new experiences. It wasn't as bad as she thought it would be, since she still saw her best friend after school and on weekends. But it was unusual to spend her breaks with new friends. It was hard for her to make new friends or find a new best friend at school. All of them knew each other from previous schools or from the neighborhood. But with time she also managed to make new friends. With each passing year came more and more changes. Friends came, friends went. Her spare-time became less and less as she had to study more and more for school. Her hobbies also had to be reduced. Her best friend couldn't see her on weekends anymore and in general it was weird times. Not only does the environment change, but so does she. Her interests, her preferences, her circle of friends but also her behavior. Birthdays were no longer celebrated as they had been in her childhood. She grew older and became an adult. After completing compulsory schooling and reaching her majority, an inner conflict arose. She was unaware that she was living in a society where digitalization was inexorably advancing, making her life take a 190 degree turn. The world she knew was no longer the existing. She hasn't had contact with a world of technology until now. The changes of her youth have already brought her enough insecurity and the present confrontation with a world where everything is digital made her fall deeply into a whole. Everyone was constantly connected to their devices and the Internet permeated every aspect of daily life. The communication she had with her friends was no longer the same. Everything now had to go through cellphone. At any given time, everyone was accessible. Communicating through social media, working and studying from home, and shopping online. The world seems more connected and faster than ever before. But with increasing digitization came new challenges. Dependence on technology was alienating people from each other. Virtual interactions were replacing face-to-face encounters and real conversations. Social ties were weakening, while virtual relationships were gaining in importance. At the same time, digitization was leading to information overload. Constant access to news, social media posts and advertising made it difficult to distinguish between truth and falsehood and to cope with the flood of information.

Contact with the analog world was barely there and everyone distanced themselves from a world without technology.

She wasn't able to cope with the advancement of technology and often felt lost.

In addition, the thought of working all her life scared her. She didn't want to have to work for the next few years so she can survive. She thought that it was a waste of time for her to only work so that she could get a salary that she then had to use to cover her living expenses. This way she loses her time with her family, with her friends and most of all with herself.

Sometimes she also dreamt of a world where she could determine how she spends her time. In the year 3010, a society existed in which time was the most important currency. People lived in Paradisa, a society where time had no limit and everything was in accordance with people's individual needs and desires. In Paradisa, people could organize their time any way they want. They could decide how much time they wanted to spend on different activities. There was no industrial work and therefore no working hours or obligations that had to go hand in hand with fixed appointments. Everyone could use their time the way he or she wanted.

Technology played a crucial role in that society. Especially in the field of advanced timekeeping devices that allowed people to control time precisely and plan their activities in a targeted manner. In addition, there were also time machines that allowed people to travel in time. Time travel was a central part of life in Paradisa. People could travel to the past to experience historical events firsthand or travel to the future. Among other things, time travel was not only for entertainment, but also for education and personal development of the individual.

The phenomenon of hectic or hurry does not exist. Stress and burnout were unknown concepts. People could fully concentrate on what was important to them without being constrained by time. Time for family, time for interpersonal relationships and time for themselves. The society in Paradisa was characterized by mutual support and cooperation. Everyone respected each other's time and no one wasted it unnecessarily. People recognized the value of time and used it wisely. That created an harmonious society. In that paradise there were no abuses, manipulations or competitions, no rules or regulations, people interact based on their kindness of heart and the deepest desire for inner peace and contentment. This was because people knew that the circumstances given to them are not guaranteed. People valued time and protected it the most.

Epilog

My short story is about the current reality, where technology and time, are the most important elements of society. The short story can be seen as my personal subjective dystopia. We live in a world where everything is digital. Technology has crept through all aspects of life. There is a lack of personality in our interactions with fellow human beings. There is a lack of time for the important things in life, like family, contentment and personal development. The idea for my short story and the included utopia was influenced by well-known literary works.

First of all, the work "1984" by George Orwell, which with its dark and gloomy vision of the future, pushes the individual to reflect. In Orwell's novel, an overpowering surveillance state called "Big Brother" dominates all facets of life in the totalitarian society. People live in constant fear of invasion of their privacy and punishment for their thought crimes. Individual freedom, autonomy of thought and the right to privacy are only distant memories. Manipulation of information and reinterpretation of the past are instruments of power to control and oppress people. But in the midst of this hopeless world there is the protagonist Winston Smith. He dares to rebel against oppression and resist the mechanisms of control. Together with Julia, his lover, he tries to seek and preserve the truth hidden behind the lies of the system. They forge a secret alliance against Big Brother and pursue a glimmer of hope for change. But their efforts are brutally shattered when they are betrayed and captured. Winston is eventually broken by cruel brainwashing and becomes a will-less tool of domination. In this epic and grim ending to "1984," the power of the surveillance state triumphs. Individual freedom was destroyed, truth distorted, and people remained trapped in an endless cycle of oppression.

In my short story, the freedom of my individual is suppressed, not literally, but with the unconscious compulsion to give up personal time in order to work. Because without work there is no income and without income the individual cannot survive in our society. Also in Orwell's novel, an overpowering surveillance state is responsible for running society. Technology and the Internet access to information that goes along with it makes transparency between reality and falsehood difficult. The manipulation and dissemination of information has been made easier by the world of the Internet, and at the same time, the deletion of false news has become more difficult.

The summary of "1984" serves as a warning and reminder of the importance of protecting individual freedom, truth and privacy. Orwell shows us how easily a society can fall into the clutches of a totalitarian regime when people close their eyes to the power of manipulation. Nevertheless, there is a lesson to be learned from the dystopian world of "1984": human nature is strong and the urge for freedom is indestructible. Even in the most difficult circumstances, people find a way to resist and keep the flame of truth and freedom alive. The utopia in my short story also yearns for freedom and self-determination. For a society built on the basic principles of individual freedom, cohesion and care.

Furthermore, my short story relates to Aldous Huxley's novel Brave New World, in which a society was created that was characterized by technological advancement and scientific control. People were bred in genetic laboratories and conditioned from birth to fulfill their assigned roles and responsibilities in society. In this seemingly perfect world, there was no disease, no conflict, and no worry. People were sedated with a drug called "soma" to control their emotions and distract them from real problems. Individuality was suppressed, personal relationships were superficial and freedom of thought was restricted. The main character Bernard Marx and the outsider Linda rebelled against the rigid norms of this society. They strove for individual freedom, real emotions and the possibility to experience life in all its complexity. During their journey into the "wild world" outside the system, they met John, a boy who had grown up on an isolated Indian reservation. John was a symbol of the longing for natural and human experience. He represented the desire for authentic life that had been lost in the "Brave New World." At the end of Huxley's novel, John found no place in society. He could not conform to the rigid rules of "civilization," nor could he live in his own world. His tragic death symbolized the price some people have to pay for the search for freedom and individuality. The summary of "Brave New World" is a call to reflect on the balance between security and freedom, between control and individuality. Huxley asks whether a perfect world in which everything is predetermined and manipulated is really desirable. In my short story, the protagonist is also looking for freedom, individuality, and the opportunity to enjoy life to the fullest. She dreams of the perfect society in which technology and time can be lived out in balance.

Lastly, Gilles Deleuzes of the "Control Society" presented a new form of social organization and control. In this society, power was no longer centralized, but diffused and decentralized. Individuals were no longer passive, but became self-organized actors operating in a network of connections and information. The Control Society was marked by a profound change in communication technologies. The advent of the Internet and digital media enabled broad access to information and horizontal networking of people on a global scale. The boundaries between producers and consumers blurred, while people actively participated in the generation and dissemination of knowledge and ideas. In this society, individual identities and hierarchies were dissolved. People had the opportunity to take on multiple roles and positions and to constantly reinvent themselves. Traditional institutions and power structures were challenged and new forms of collaboration and engagement emerged. However, the Control Society was not without its challenges. The limitless flood of information and constant networking presented people with the task of filtering and processing relevant and authentic information. The pressure to be constantly available and active could lead to overload and interfere with personal development. Despite these challenges, the Control Society enabled broad participation and collaboration. Individuals had the opportunity to make their voices heard and drive collective change. The distribution of power was no longer exclusively tied to institutions, but was distributed across many different actors and networks. The aspect of borderless information overload and constant networking from Gilles Deleuze's "Control Society" is not only echoed in my short story, but reflects today's society. Telecommunication and the progress of technology enable constant accessibility. However, this can be seen as a blessing but also a curse. Not only is the constant networking and limitless exchange of information exhausting in the long run, but it also leads to a loss of individuality. The world does not need a society in which every person is the same. Individuality, creativity and self-determination is what makes a functional society.

The literary works, show that we have the responsibility to shape a world based on values of freedom, individuality and interpersonal relationships. Society must actively participate in shaping the future and use the possibilities of digital networking and knowledge sharing to create a world characterized by diversity, creativity and freedom.