The Pacifier

For a field trip, Ms. Garner’s history class visited The Museum of Technology.

“Come students, let’s head over to the Halls of Obsolescence.”

Ms. Garner led her class through displays and exhibits of many obsolete technologies—such as televisions, computers, and automobiles ...

Right before exiting ...

“What’s this?” Asked a student. He pointed at a large spherical object—more massive than a person.

“Oh, great question, Fred. That’s a Pacifier.”

“A ... What?”

“Come, everyone, please have a seat here.

The students sat next to each other on a bench that faced the spherical exhibit.

Ms. Garner remained standing up—“The Pacifier you see before you changed everything about our society. Before our technocracy, we had a representational government. People elected leaders based on proximity or shared beliefs instead of their expertise.”

Another student raised her hand. “How’s this sphere relevant, Ms. Garner?”

“Good question Susan. It gets more interesting from there. You see, before body implants and the written Laws of Reality, there was a time people entertained themselves with machines like computers, electronic devices, and projections. And they traveled around using private vehicles. Like many technologies you see in this hall, The Pacifier was another step, and yet the last one. It immersed a person in a totally virtual reality.”

Another student raised her hand. “Ms. Garner, isn’t that illegal?”

“You’re right, April.” Ms. Garner shook her finger. “We’re no longer allowed to indulge ourselves in the world of unreality. Our implants are for medical purposes only.”

“How come?” April asked.

“Well ...” Ms. Garner paced. “It all came down to the time of the Truth Revolution. When people decided the ultimate fate of humankind rests on embracing reality.

“When The Pacifier first came out, it soon became a substitute for child-rearing. Virtual reality supplanted the need for most formal learning. Sure, people still interacted and lived out their normal lives. But as the Pacifier gained popularity, they failed to develop proper social skills. Aggression, intolerance, hostility, defensiveness, over-sensitivity, and lack of compassion became the norm.”

“Why did they call it The Pacifier?” Fred asked while raising his hand.

“Good question, Fred. The idea was to quell unrest from the poverty and inequality of that time. Instead of feeling desperate and miserable, people could enter a reality of their own choosing.”

Another student raised his hand—“Ms. Garner, why can’t we do that now?”

“I was just about to explain that Eric ...

“The people elected a national leader who used The Pacifier a lot for a seemingly well-thought-out strategy. But the more hostile he became, the more they realized his Pacifier served him as a crutch. Eventually, tensions between the leader and the greater population reached a peak—people from all over took to the streets to protest. The despairing masses surrounded the leader’s office, in the once capital.

“The leader feared chaos and anarchy were inevitable. He commanded his now-defunct security to build fences, walls, and barricades and protect him from the unrest. He also made engineers seal his chamber till it ended. He stayed in his Pacifier while giving orders to his guards, and decreeing sanctions on the people.”

“Then what happened?” April looked inquisitively.

“Well.” Ms. Garner chuckled. “Apparently, the engineers did too good of a job. They couldn’t get him out of his Pacifier. That changed everything. A newly elected leadership transformed us into a technocracy. Thankfully, expertise and wisdom guide our world today.”

“You mean ... he’s still in there?” Fred pointed at The Pacifier.

Ms. Garner raised her hands, smiled, and shrugged.