The Screens

The alarm on her personal screen sounded at 6:30 AM. Miriam Aviva reached for the screen, turned off the alarm, and checked the weather report. The screen told her to be happy, for today was a sunny day. She would not actually see the sun but she had been told it was going to be a beautiful day – so she was happy. Miriam rose from her bed and opened the curtains to her New York City apartment, looked out at the sweeping vista, took a deep breath filled with happiness and turned on the TV.

Several women appeared on the TV screen. They were angry. Very angry indeed. The world was not fair. Someone, somewhere had experienced a grave misfortune. Miriam had never met the woman that the women on the TV screen were talking about and commiserating with and over, but they told Miriam that she should be angry – so she was angry. The world teemed with over 7 billion strangers, but the particular stranger the TV women were talking about had been “disrespected”, and it was the task of these strangers on the TV screen to point out unfairness wherever they might find it to any of the 7 billion strangers willing to listen. Every woman watching this particular TV was angry, even furious. Miriam could feel the anger coming from all of the apartments of the other high rises facing hers. How dare he??!!

Miriam turned the volume to the TV down and opened the laptop on her combination dining and kitchen table to check her emails. She preferred the laptop screen to the personal screen that she carried around with her all day for this purpose. There in her in basket were several emails from friends that she had not seen in years. These emails told her to be sad, and to be careful while driving. It seems that another perfect stranger somewhere had suffered a terrible misfortune. Positive thoughts and healing energy were requested, so Miriam moved on from the anger of the TV screen to sending hopes and prayers and healing energy to the perfect stranger mentioned in the emails of the laptop screen. Then she stood from the table to go and get dressed for work.

Work, such as it was, was as an intern level position with one of the fashion houses. Though nearing 30, her career compensation was that of a college student’s. She loved being so close to the action in the fashion district and didn’t mind the poor pay. And why should she? Her trust fund provided for her needs. She was free to “participate joyfully in the sorrows of the world”, especially the sorrows of other young women.

Her closets were bursting with clothes, but nothing seemed to fit just right. I need to lose some weight, she said to herself as she had every morning since the 9^th grade, 15 years ago. Her personal screen had told her repeatedly that she was just perfect the way she was, that all she had to do was learn to love herself and all would be right with the world, but the mirror said otherwise. She was unable to reconcile these instructions. This caused her to be confused and frustrated. She felt the need to go shopping. Maybe she would go shopping during her lunch break.

She checked her personal screen for texts and voicemails. There were none.

Good. I hope to never hear from him again.  Since it had been nearly 3 years it would seem that this hope was likely to come to fruition. This told Miriam to be depressed. And when she was depressed and lonely she felt the urge to pleasure herself.  So she retrieved her laptop screen and surfed the sensual scenes of the web that would provide the necessary stimulation. The greatest city in the world! A city of 10 million people! And Miriam slept alone every night.

Who needs a husband and children? I LOVE my freedom!

Miriam turned off the TV screen, packed her laptop screen in her briefcase, fit the ear buds into her ears and the wire into her personal screen. With the flick of her thumb music from the personal screen filled her world. The music commanded Miriam to forget her loneliness, her struggle with her weight, and her dissatisfaction with her wardrobe and be happy, and so she was happy. Again.

On the trip down in the elevator there was a screen quietly extolling the benefits of living in New York City and in this building in particular. Neither Miriam nor any of the other occupants riding in the elevator heard that screen or spoke to each other. All were listening to the musical commands of their personal screens to be happy. All had slept alone last night. None of them had children. They lived in the greatest city in the world! At least that is what the screens told them. Thank goodness they were not living like those deplorables out in flyover land!

Miriam got off the elevator and almost made it to the street before realizing that she had not taken her medications, so she reversed her steps and headed back up to her apartment, her head filled with music and completely oblivious to the people around her as well as her surroundings. She looked down at her personal screen. On the top right was an image of sun and sunshine. It was a beautiful day, and the screen commanded her to be happy. She felt happy.

Miriam entered her apartment and headed for the medicine cabinet where her personality pills were stationed. All of her friends took personality pills. Each confessed this to the others in private over mimosas on Thursday night outings after work. Each swore their friends to secrecy. These were the worst kept secrets, ever. Miriam popped her pill into her mouth, drank a bit of water, and checked the mirror to see if she had smudged her makeup. She had not.

Back down the elevator and out onto the street, alone in her world of music Miriam walked the 8 blocks to the Fashion District. There she entered her building and rode up the elevator to the floor of her office having not said a single word to anyone from her apartment to her desk. She opened up her laptop screen, plugged in her power cable, and began to “work”. Four hours later she broke for lunch and came back to her desk, her personal screen and ear buds her only companion. They told her to be happy, as did her medications. So she was happy.

After work Miriam and her personal screen went to her health club. She walked on a machine that imitated the motions of climbing stairs for a half an hour, checking with the stair machine screen that kept track of her heart rate, never taking the ear buds from her ears. She left the health club and its stair stepping machine and headed back to her apartment and took the elevator. It never occurred to her that she could have taken the 40 flights of stairs up to her apartment. After all there was no screen in the stairwell to keep track of her heart rate!

Miriam showered, took another personality pill, turned on the TV screen, and plopped herself down on the couch for the evening. After the TV screen viewing marathon, she checked her personal screen for texts and emails. There were none.

Good, she said to herself and headed off to get ready for bed.

Miriam took in the stunning views from her 40^th floor apartment. How lucky am I! I live in the greatest city in the world! She then hopped into bed alone, set her alarm for the following morning and checked the weather report on her personal screen. The screen said it was going to rain tomorrow and that she should be sad. So Miriam was sad.

The End.