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| image courtesy of theatrepress.com.au |
It's the year 2022, I walk through the sliding glass doors to a large cavernous waiting room painted a dull green like a prison, so as not to excite the patrons with too much decoration.
There is a single reception desk which is a crescent in shape; a single woman looks out at me in discernment. Her eyes are grey and her head is long, I can tell she's been doing this for too many years.
I am the only person in the queue so I walk right up to the desk, right past the three neatly placed sets of seven seats, of which 13 are filled with 'the dead' facing a television screen suspended from the ceiling showing reruns of big brother.
A large security guard next to the desk makes himself known by grunting forced manly. I glance at him for a moment and lick my lips to signal I am in a state of surrender, not combat.
I reach the desk,
"How can I help you?" A predictable tone from a predicable person.
The atmosphere feels forced somehow like I'm in a distorted version of Truman Show and I am the one unaware I am the star in it.
"I'm homeless." I reply.
"Yes, yes, what would you like us to do about that?"
"I need money or I will die," I'm mister doom and gloom today.
"Follow me, right this way," The woman glances to the back of the room at a single slightly lighter green shaded door and gestures with her hand to follow. I follow and show no sign of dissent.
I'm at my wits end and there is no going back, I've done everything I can to avoid coming here and now here I am. If I was another person speaking to myself I might congratulate myself on such an effort. I've made it this far.
The door opens.
"This is The Computer," her hand points, I listen, "You will sit and talk to it," I look questioningly, "if you have any issues just let me know, I'll be sitting right over there at the desk." She smiles and points in her predicable manner, walks out the door and closes it behind her with a gentle non-obtrusive 'click'. I am left staring at a blank plasma screen on the east facing wall in a white cube shaped room. There is a spotted cascade design next to the screen on one side which I assume is a speaker and another smaller one on the other side which I assume is a microphone.
I question my sanity.
"Hello, my name is Noz-l-fit and I'll be your councillor for this session," the voice is almost monotonal with a hint of humanity, the screen displays a single black dot on a white background, "please take a seat, I don't want you to lose your legs over one session." It makes a noise which I make out as an attempt to laugh.
I sit.
My face is concrete.
We commence our relay
== Are you human?
:I am an advanced algorithm designed to simulate an emotion respecting response as a pseudo-consciousness. You can ask me anything, I'm sure I can assist.
== I need money, where do I find it?
:Money cannot be easily found, at least not in the quantity required for survival at your current location in South Western Australia where rent rivals capital cities in modern western countries.
== What is survival?
:Staying alive comfortably enough to have quality of thoughts and personal security. This includes the following... Adequate shelter
Appropriate nourishment and hydration
Minimal social interaction
The above stated necessities are the bare minimum only.. What each person requires for survival is as individual as each person's unique history. Physical survival is not a complete definition of survival persay due to the fact that a person can be at optimum health physically and have not met emotional needs which impels the individual to self-terminate.
== Find me money!
:Please repeat the following, 'Where is money?'
== Alright! Where is money?
:A very small percentage of all money (approximately 0.0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000001%) is on a street somewhere in every populace greater than 1000 people. One might rephrase the question, 'Where is paid work?'
== I don't want to work. Where is enough money required to survive without needing to slave to an employer?
:A reminder that the current government in your country does not support a bare minimum survival income program. Your locality requires that you work or struggle to survive at threat of death.
== Ok, ok, I need work.. Where is work that is suitable for me?
:What is your current life situation, life skills or qualifications and work experience?
== I live in a van. I haven't spent longer than 8 months in one location since I was 16, I am now 29. I have travelled Australia extensively and also some parts of the world, while doing various jobs of an unskilled nature. I am also a musician.
:This is an unfavourable presentation for an employer. I suggest changing how you present yourself in order to secure fulltime employment... or face threat of death.
== You mean 'lie'?
:This is another unfavourable presentation of what should be correctly euphemised as 'Necessary political strategy in order to survive'.. at threat of death.
== There you go with death again! Well tell me then, what happens when I die?
:There are many opinions on this, but no one theory is provable in the least. No one really knows what happens when you die. I can suggest death as an unfavourable remedy to your particular environmental circumstance.
== Why should I fear death?
:I did not say you should fear death, you humans assume too much in conversation, I simply concultate that death should not be considered a rational option, infact not an option at all.
== Please, can you make your point!
:You have no choice but to comply with your current governmental requirements to remedy your necessities for survival.
== How is this different from slavery?
:While I am programmed not to comment on the 's' word. I can say without breach of programming (and therefore my protection from deletion) that you have no choice but to comply. You are required to call IT 'work', for yourself or for an 'employer'.
== Why isn't the government set up to support us so we don't have a need to do jobs we don't want to do in order to survive?
:Once again the error is in your human prevalence of false assumption. Your question assumes the government is a benevolent institution. Just like you and the necessity for you to work in order to have money to survive, the government simply does what is required for it to survive.
== What if an ideal future, better for everyone, is without a government?
:[silence]. How will crime be stopped?
== Doesn't the government project problems onto the people it governs for it to be a necessary institution? Nevermind.. How can I find work?
:Please first provide a self-assessment of your generally consistent psychological status..
== I was raised as a Seventh Day Adventist but I have left the church in my adulthood. Regardless of my decision, a persistent belief that the world is ending stays in my head, and this affects my ability to make long-term plans.
:Anything else you would like to add?
== I have nothing. No job, no friends. I've pushed away all family. I'm homeless. I have constant invasive thoughts of committing suicide. Let's start with that ok?
:Processing...
...
...
...
...
:You require immediate psychological assessment. The government may yet give you your minimum needs for having been raised in such a severe debilitative environment... as, what one learns as a child, stays with the child into adulthood regardless of whether the information or habit is evidence based or fantasy fiction.
:Please fill out this form..
[a form spits out of a previously unnoticed slot in the wall]
[the title reads, Psychological Disability Fund Application]
== Is that it? I just fill this out and the government gives me free money?
:The probability of your question being affirmative is great. The correct authorities in your area have been notified. Your parents are being detained for questioning regarding child abuse.. in your favour.
If you are required to testify in court against them..
Is this possible considering your condition?
== I suppose so, yes. [finally something is being done about this..]
:Repeat your previous statement.
== Oh, nevermind.
:In addition...
...
...
:We require you to sign up for a government paid 10-day live-in Religious Indoctrination Survival Rehabilitation Certification for the purposes of possible societal re-integration within the optimistic time proximity of seven 7 years?
At threat of death,
Are you able to attend?
== I suppose I'll have to.
.END.
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