The Owl That Became A Machine

"A humble old man,
stands by a window
He holds his hand out,
to bring me into
A time I won't like,
and there's nothing I can do"
- "Owldman" by Celestial Machine
(https://celestialmachine.bandcamp.com/album/stagmata)

This is about an owl that isn't an owl.

We are inundated with surface level conveniences.
An endless display of technologies, labours and innovations aimed at making the inconvenient dismissible. Every advertisement aim at convincing us that we should want, nay, we deserve to avoid the hassle of that one thing that we currently have to deal with.

Faster, comfier transportation
Lighter, more compact connection
Tastier, less expensive nutrition
we deserve it

We live in a world with such ease of access and such incredible technological advances that there is no excuse to refuse these innovations and conveniences

Why should we be burdened with hassle?

This is about a we that isn't a we.

We don't need to grow our own food, build our own homes, manufacture our electronic goods, do our own research. We have technologies and enterprises to do it for us.
All it costs us is a little piece of our most important and valuable resource.
Just a moment of our attention.
Just a moment of our time.
Our fleeting, finite time.

Just a 15 second unskippable ad, just a 45 second reminder that Hello Fresh can make meals easy, just an extra click before the song will start, just a moment for every dozen moments. Just a shrug and a "that's just how it is now."

Just a little turn of the head, a little look away from what is on the other end of "how"
"it"
"is"

This is about "how it is" that isn't "how it is".

"How it is" when it means cheap, tasty food can mean slave wages for children picking fruit and minimum wages for people stocking it in stores while grocery giants profit billions.

"How it is" when it's building and manufacturing is the negligence of worker safeties, whole countries losing lives in Cobalt mines, and the destruction of countless environments while tech giants profit billions.

"How it is" when it's us enjoying music and entertainment is paying artists and creators fractions of fractions of pennies, perpetuating and algorithmically pushing violence, hiding genocide, and reinforcing exploitative systems while social media giants profit billions.

This is about convenience that isn't convenience.

1590.
1590 day streak that I shared with the owl.
1590 days of 15 minutes of my evening before bed being provided the convenience of learning through comfortable gamified means.

"Going to be AI first" the owl hoots

"Delete my account" I responded.

1590 gone in 15 seconds.

This is about an owl that isn't about an owl.

Because it's not the owl.
It's not the anti-union pressure of Starbucks
It's not the Apartheid support of McDonalds
It's not the exploitative nature of Hollywood
It's not the animal cruelty of MAC Makeup
It's not the child labour exploitation of Driscoll fruit
It's not the Anti-Palestinian bias of the BBC
It's not the labour exploitation of H&M

It's the owl that isn't an owl
The "how it is" that doesn't have to be "how is it"
The convenience that isn't convenient

Become inconvenienced.
Be above convenience.

"How it is?" nay "how can it be?"

This is a cry for help that is a cry for help.

This is about a we that isn't a we

not yet

This is about the awareness of a reality that isn't the reality

This is about an owl that isn't an owl.