Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Global Mobility

In this small village of the world everything seemed within my reach; I was sitting behind my screen in my living-room I was watching live news broadcast: some American soldiers breaking into a house in Iraq, an explosion in Afghanistan, an Israeli tank invading or withdrawing from Bethlehem, and while zapping between channels I can also see Carnival in Rio de Janeiro, Grammy awards and a lot of advertisements, I can even buy all my needs with just one phone-call or upon online order, I can get it delivered too, I don’t have to go out ever, as long as I can afford it.

The moment I decided to go out and make a physical visit to that world it began to seem so wide, out of reach and closed. First of all I needed to get a visa, but for that I need a bank-account with a decent some of money, I need a letter from my boss stating that I am needed in my job and that I will be getting back, I need an invitation letter from a friend or relative in the country of my destination or a hotel reservation. And suddenly the open world of virtual reality started to close up on me in actual reality. I was faced by borders, embassies, security procedures, paper fillings, forms of different colors, airport scanners and police gazes, individual harassments, and privacy invasions. I felt exposed, my private properties stopped being private, and my private space became public, and the next thing I knew, I was naked in some waiting room with some other strangers with a number in my hand.

I tried to sleep, but found it impossible with that heavy snoring drilling my ears through my brain, I went outside for to be alone, I felt better, but then so cold, I returned again, my turn was gone, I took another number and stood in the line. I thought about home, it felt so far away behind a big screen on the wall.

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