I foresee a day when more and more young people will opt to be invisible. They will do so to avoid the burdensome interference, restraints and controls, by government in their lives. They will do so to keep their lives their own, to be individuals rather than conforming members of the herd. They will do so to live in accordance with the nature of their species, the way all animals instinctively wish to live in accordance with theirs.
They will not get a Social Security card, a Medicare number, a driver's license or any other government-issued permit. If stopped by the police for anything, they will quietly and quickly pay the fine and move on. They will take jobs or provide services that will pay them cash only. They will not put their money in bank accounts, but in safety boxes under fictitious names. They will file no income tax returns, register for no military draft. They will never use their real names. They will not vote. They will be invisible.
And free. As were the Westerners through 1890. Roaming or working the land, living the moment, relishing a tasty morsel, a dry bed, a friendly face. No health insurance, no horse insurance, no credit cards. Needing little, wanting little...having much: their lives, to be as they chose to be.
And then came suffocation (aka civilization). Burgeoning cities, congestion, physical and moral pollution. Buildings, skyscrapers, literally piling people on top of each other. Exploding technology accelerating the stampede toward greater and greater needs, often unfulfilled...and greater and greater stress and distress, almost always unrelieved. Social protocols, proprieties, and procedures proliferate. Get along, little doggie, get along.
Humans mutated into numbers...12 and 15 digit numbers on cards. Wallets overflowing with cards. "Confirm your identity. What are the last 4 digits of your Social Security number? Your 5 digit zip code? Your 10 digit phone number?" Hello, Mr. 7743043 5557063215, how are you today? What is your 17 digit account number?""
And now comes identity theft. They are stealing our digits. By the millions. Our digits are no longer necessarily us. What now? Who are we now? How do we prove that we are and who we are? I heard there is a DNA Tracker machine on the horizon that can flash the unique 32,786,554 elements of your DNA code to whomever you wish in a micromilliunisecond. Costs only $74,395...but it is who you are, isn't it? Or isn't it?
Are we somebody...still?
Invisibility. I see it coming. One way or the other.
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