Exhibit C: A plastic thimble with a hole in the middle. I was using a plastic thimble until a sharp pain hit the tip of my finger. After inordinate amount of swearing that would make a Nantucket whaler proud, I discovered a tiny hole in the middle of the protective cap. It is just big enough to let through a tiny needle head. Who designed this product? What Quality Control passed it?(Creed from the Office comes to mind) What manager allowed the product to leave the door? Which purchasing agent agreed to pay for this product? Who proudly displayed this product on their shelves? And finally what idiotic consumer bought this product? Let me spare you the mystery. I AM THAT IDIOT at the end.

Myth #3: Modern human civilization has produced superior products at affordable prices for everyone. If everyone involved with producing a product actually cared about what they do then a thimble with a hole would never make its way to the guy at the end. This may sound like an impossible utopia but it is possible and it has happened in our past. I actually know people who enjoy cleaning toilets. They love the challenge of a dirty latrine so they can use their labour and patience to turn it into a spotless place of serenity. People can enjoy almost any labour activity as long as it is well designed and fairly compensated for. If we can move all the right people to their rightful places we can reduce work-related stress and injuries, most significantly we get a better product at the end. A society with this kind of Win-Win mindset is meant to thrive.

Our Final Myth, Myth #4: We can continue to do what we did for eternity. So back to my problem with returning to “Normal” after COVID-19. That so called normal is a bad place. Humanity is strapped to a rocket with a programed trajectory for mid air collision with mother earth. We were all unwitting participants to a crime against humanity, one small “innocent” purchase at a time. Like a master assassin training his apprentice, the system bloodies our hands so we cannot back out. By sharing the guilt we now have to accept the consequence and the life path to ultimate destruction.

Or do we? What if the system could be shut down momentarily? What if we could stop mindless consumption? What if we could have time to figure out the truly essential thing in our lives? What on earth do you think COVID-19 is?

An environmentally responsible product – Clay whistle made by an Inca woman

Feel free to read “Back to normal? (Part 1)”

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Published by ZEN WANG

Nuclear Project Engineer turned Filmmaker. View all posts by ZEN WANG