Invisible paths
'I am inoculated against diseases that have not been released yet'. A quote from Anderson Lake, a calories corporation professional, a fully fictional character in Paolo Bacigalupi's 'Windup Girl', stopped me in my tracks and got me thinking. What if we were living in a world where a person's position was a function of proximity to the dominant technology players? Oh, wait...
THINK. 'Windup Girl' is a fascinating novel. Set in Thailand in a distant future, it tells a story of a world in food, energy and climate crisis. First published in 2009, it captured some fears that feel obvious in the third decade of XXIst century. The seas have risen, temperature is scotching hot, and ice cubes become nearly as precious than jewelry. The main powers are multi-national 'calory corporations' who not only engineer food to maximize energy throughput but also fight genetic wars by designing and releasing diseases to damage crops. This constitutes the main source of financial, but also political power.
Windup Girl is a humanoid, artificial being, designed and trained to smoothen and enable lives of its human masters. Rooted in Japanese geisha archetype, the being is obedient and submissive. Moving in robotic, stutter motion, she carries a distinctive mark of otherness and inferiority. Something happens though and suddenly the windup girl enters a path to forming independent self.
Climate and energy crisis aside, the theme of mainstream dominance, amplified by access to resources and media, is a universal one in literature and film. Whether it is this planet or another, ancient history or eons away in time, it triggers imagination, feeds on hopes and fears. Ground-breaking emerging technologies pull the proverbial rug from under our feet. When everyone is momentarily up in the air, those who plan how they land gain a leading edge.
'Windup Girl' is also a love story. The geisha and the young corporate 'suit'; a police mentor and a protegee; a mad scientist and his servant. Even on the verge of starvation, fatigue and in sweltering heat, human beings have deep feelings. Oh, and artificial beings too.
FEEL. While calory wars of the future still (thankfully) remain in the realm of science-fiction, many of us fight our daily, unseen battles. I was deeply moved by three recent conversations with my work colleagues. With relationships based on trust and respect, we barely noticed how we swiftly moved from business topics to our personal lives.
Parenthood sits in the very core of who I am. Cheering for my children, taking pride in how they discover the world, fills me with true bliss. But the life of a parent is also filled with worry and regret. We make trade-offs that we may question in hindsight. We wish we could get through some experiences instead of them; keep fears and pain away - but we cannot. All we can do is give it our best effort, a day at a time.
I was struck by how little we truly know about the struggles that others are going though. A person can show up at work with all the energy and contributions, filling a work persona with 'content' we are generally expecting. It is only when we stop and notice, build a thread of trust and confidence, we are beginning to see a fuller picture. Like in my role-playing games, the setting is an illusion adventurers must use a spell to see through.
We all walk invisible paths and carry fights that nobody sees. If I am allowed an appeal, let's simply be kind and unassuming. The spell of compassion goes a long way.
DO. This October has been a strange month at our household. My wife is intensely travelling for work, doing what she does best at both teaching another generation of college students as well as developing her research and professional network. It is fascinating for me to hear how she is engaging with students, making an impact to their lives. This is based on the same trust, respect, ability to notice and outbound compassion force. At different fields, seems like we act the same.
Marta's travels are a convenient excuse for me to explore the Marvel universe with my teenage son, watching movie after movie in these dark October evenings. Getting to know the characters, with their superpowers and flaws, gives us a chance to both talk about their extreme experiences, but also how - underneath costumes and gadgets - they are deeply human. Well, or close.
We are also capturing iconic dialogues and scenes. It then starts to live a life on their own amongst us. My favorite so far is a dialogue between Captain America and Iron Man:
- We need a plan of attack.
- I have a plan. Attack!
Of course, that is all only possible as soon as we finish a solar eclipse project for science class!
Am I giving myself enough permission just to be in the moment though? Or is my 'attack' plan too much switched on in my waking hours? While the latter is mostly true, I practice self-compassion and notice.
