Mindviewers Stories

I was on my way from the street of Maryland down to Timberland New Market. My main goal was to buy essential foodstuffs, as I felt the nearby shops had been raising their prices unnecessarily. I settled into my seat, ready for the journey ahead.

To my surprise, I was delighted to run into some old friends on the bus. We had lost touch for quite some time, and it was a pleasant surprise to see them again. Eager to reconnect, I engaged them in conversation, but it seemed they were too occupied with their phones. I decided to put my phone aside and focus on the reunion. However, my friends were glued to their screens, only lifting their gaze for a word or two before returning their attention to their devices.

Observing this, I couldn't help but ponder the role of technology in our lives. It seemed that everyone was tied to their phones, keeping themselves occupied with what appeared to be very important tasks. I wondered what it would be like for a person to go without their phone for an extended period. Would they feel lost, disconnected from the world? Would they feel useless without their device constantly at hand?

In my view, a phone should be just a part of our lives, not the center of it. If people were suddenly stripped of their phones for weeks on end, would they be able to adapt and find meaning in other aspects of life?

I sat right across 'her' trying my best to look 'her' in the eyes, or what I perceived were the eyes. The atmosphere seemed somewhat surreal, like there was a palpable tension that could almost be touched if one ventured to. The nagging feeling that I was with a conscious being was quite strong. Yet, a quick look over of 'her' revealed nothing much more than a simple mix of synthetic materials perfectly fitted to make the appearance of a human feature; howbeit, one that exuded latent strength and confidence.
As 'she' shifted her gaze and focused 'her' eyes on mine squarely, I quickly pondered over how I got there, with several questions bubbling in my mind and seeking for closure.
It was year 7072, I quickly recollected. One of the days while I was relaxing on a pouch in my terrace on a rather starry night, I was contacted through telepathy by an unknown person. The message was clear enough for my discernment: the person wanted to meet with me. I had already agreed to meet with the person before on an instinct, I ran back into my house, as quickly as my robotic-fitted leg could enable me ( which was quite fast compared to normal human leg), to consult with Magi, my trusted Artificial Intelligence. On querying Magi about the incident, the response I got from her was curt: I should discontinue any further communication and interaction with the person.
But been the curious cat that I was with years of experience and skill in meddling with artificial intelligence programs, here I was. Needless to say that I didn't pay heed to Magi, my trusted AI for several years.
' I perceive you have several things running through your mind. So, shoot', 'she' said casually.
This jolted me back to reality, as I struggled to maintain a keen gaze on 'her'.
'Are you a male or female,' I asked the one question I could muster at that point .
'In your parlance, you can very well consider me a female ', she responded quite frankly.
I wasn't very much surprised by her response. Already, she had been giving off the 'vibe' that she was a female. It had been subtle, almost intentional, if I were to say so.
'Are you a conscious being?'
This second question from me was much more composed than the first; my years of training and experience in the field of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning naturally kicked in.
I observed that she slightly adjusted in the reclining seat she was seating before responding thus:
' I am a conscious being '.
Before I could ponder over her response and possibly pose another question to her, she said:
' What do you consider as conscious?'
( To be continued).

After classes were over on Monday, I made an unusual decision. I decided to stay back at school and spend some time reading in the classroom. It's been a while since I read in a school environment. Normally, I preferred to read at home or go to the library, but today I felt a strong urge to try something different.

As I started to read, the noise from different students in the classroom was distracting. They were engaged in various conversations, and it was a bit troubling. At first, their appearance it hard to focus, and I found myself tempted to leave. It was strange because I had always been able to concentrate in the midst of some noise, but today was different.

I felt an inner battle within me, a push to go home and a pull to stay and finish the reading. I knew that if I left, I probably wouldn't resume my reading when I got home. So, I fought against the urge to leave, determined to stay committed to my decision to read at school.

As time went by, something shifted inside me. I found myself adapting to the surrounding noise. It was like a light switch and suddenly, the conversations around me became background noise. The more I read, the more I seemed to tune out the distractions.

By the time I left the classroom and headed home, I realized that I had achieved something. I'd managed to focus despite all the distractions