Bedtime story

- Many years ago, our whole society got sick with a rare disease: the internet. It started innocently - emails, chats, Wikipedia, we used those big boxes where we store the eggs now. Computers. Later, it was transferred to something you can hold in one hand.

- The nutcrackers?

- Back then, these were called smartphones, their sole purpose being the internet, the thing that slowly and steadily took over our time and lives.

- Because you could find the whole knowledge of the world in just a few seconds and you didn’t need to go to the library like now?

- No. In fact, no.

- Because you could work without having to get up early and actually leave the house?

- Well, there was this work-from-home trend, but no.

- Because you could talk to the people you love, no matter where on the planet they were?

- There was this opportunity, but we used it at the very beginning only. Soon after, we stopped talking on the phone, we texted instead. Actually, this is not correct - there wasn't any text. We used to send messages of simple yellow pictures, emojis, to express our feelings. It was so much easier. On the rare occasions when we saw an acquaintance on the street, we didn't know what to say because there are no emojis in real life and the words for that were long-forgotten.

- Because you could work without having to get up early and actually leave the house?

- Well, there was this work-from-home trend, but no.

- Because you could talk to the people you love, no matter where on the planet they were?

- There was this opportunity, but we used it at the very beginning only. Soon after, we stopped talking on the phone, we texted instead. Actually, this is not correct - there wasn't any text. We used to send messages fof simple yellow pictures, emojis, to express our feelings. On the rare occasions when we met an acquaintance on the street, we didn't know what to say because there are no emojis in real life.

- You didn't gather with other people?

- It wasn't like now. The internet was so much more interesting than an actual meet-up with an old friend. There were social media, shopping apps, influencers, vloggers, tik-tokers… All these things that we willingly wasted our free time on...We were all sick with the same disease.

- And then?

- The depression came and no one was prepared for it. We turned to the internet, our master, once again.

- And?

- We asked for help, for a way to heal our souls.

The internet was silent.

One day, one man just had enough and he did something unthinkable. He shut his internet down! He didn't think he would survive. The next day came, then the other. The man endured a strange transformation. He started to hear the birds' songs; see the hues of green on the tree leaves; detect the different aromas of flowers in bloom; enjoy the gentle touch of the sunbeams. He felt he wasn't insatiable anymore, quite the opposite, he was content. It was then when he realized he was no longer sick. He wanted to share his cure with the world. So his long journey began. City after city, town after town, his speeches were so profound and honest, that all those sick people, they felt like they had to do what he did. They tore the "net" apart and just like him, they started to see, hear and feel. Real feelings. And they remembered the words for that. People made their final choice…

We chose freedom. The freedom to be the only masters of our lives. Now we have time.