Forgetting freedom: A short story
Nation First gets creative with a dystopian science fiction short story set in the not-too-distant future.
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For something completely different today, I’ve drafted a short story set in a not-too-distant dystopian future.
The story serves as a warning for letting what is precious slip through our fingers.
While writing it I was reminded of the famous Ronald Reagan quote:
Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction.
We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream.
It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children's children what it was once like… (when) men were free.
This was meant to be sent out over the weekend but I spent Sunday night putting the finishing touches to it.
I hope you enjoy the story!
Until next time, God bless you, your family and nation.
Take care,
George Christensen
A short story by George Christensen
It had been a long time since Jacob had thought of freedom. He didn’t even dream of it these days. That’s because Jacob was not free by any stretch of the imagination… and what’s more is that he knew it.
He woke up to the sound of his digital assistant reminding him that he only had an hour before he was required to log in for work… if work is what you could his bland office job. Drudgery was more apt.
Not even a few free minutes to myself this morning! Jacob groaned as he sat up in bed, dreading the day ahead.
As he got dressed, Jacob heard a government announcement blaring from his neighbour’s TV set. It was the same message he heard every day, reminding citizens to be alert for the words and actions of others. People didn’t have the freedom to say what they really thought. Jacob had learned long ago to keep his opinions to himself, to never express anything that could be perceived as dissent. The government monitored every keystroke he made, every email he sent, and every conversation he had.
Even his thoughts were not his own, as the government had developed technology that allowed them to monitor brain activity and detect any lingering subversive thoughts that could lead to disruptive action. Thoughts that were critical of the government were allowed of course – I mean, who wasn’t critical of the government – but once those thoughts went beyond criticism to plotting to do something about it, there would be a knock at the door, for no one had the freedom to take unapproved political action.
Jacob sat down at his kitchen table and opened his digital wallet, checking his central bank digital currency balance. He knew that every financial transaction he made was tracked by the government, as his digital identity was linked to every purchase he made. He had no privacy nor anonymity, and ultimately, with the latest announcement of higher carbon spending limits, he didn’t even have freedom over how he spent his own finances. He finished his breakfast, a watered-down granulated formula derived from insect protein, and quickly and made his way to work.
As he trundled through the city, Jacob saw the government’s propaganda displayed on giant screens. He couldn’t help but see it. The images and messages were everywhere, reminding citizens of their duty to others (which ultimately meant the State), and warning them of dissenting ‘domestic terrorists’ who spoke of Big Government, freedom and the like.
Rivalling the amount of propaganda was the number of closed-circuit television cameras, recording every move of those who came into their view and given they were everywhere you couldn’t help but come into their view. There was simply no freedom from surveillance. And what was worse was that Jacob knew even the slightest deviation from the norm, just a sour facial expression when you saw something you didn’t like but were supposed to like, could result in a lower social credit score, meaning fewer freedoms and opportunities.
At work, Jacob tried to keep his head down and avoid attracting attention. That was the best way to not upset anyone. And upsetting people led to low social credit score.
It was during his lunch break that Jacob checked his social credit score to find that it had dropped again. He thought he had withheld the grimace at the umpteenth propaganda piece he’d seen on a billboard on his way to work, but perhaps not. The low score was worrying; he knew that he was one misstep away from being completely cut off.
After work, Jacob went to one those automated grocery stores to stock up on the essentials. He carefully selected his items, trying to stay within his carbon limit and avoid anything that could be seen as anti-social. It was the bacon that got him though. As he scanned the little luxury item, an alarm went off, and the screen on his register flashed that he had exceeded his carbon limit.
An androgynous-looking store security guard sauntered over to Jacob.
“Tsk, tsk, tsk,” the guard said, “You’re going to have to return it, you meat-eating polluter!”
“I’m sorry, sir, I didn’t realise it would tip me over,” Jacob replied.
“SIR?!?,” screamed the guard, “I DO NOT IDENTIFY AS SIR.”
Jacob looked nervously up at the store security camera and then at the myriad of other shoppers who had raised their smart phones to capture the angry interchange.
“I’m sorry,” Jacob moaned, but he knew it was too late.
As he left the store, his phone beeped. He didn’t even have to look to know what message was awaiting him: his social credit score had slipped to below societally-accepted levels, and as such he was no longer eligible for welfare support or some other government benefit. Nonetheless he checked his phone only to find that he was half-correct: welfare privileges had indeed been revoked but he also faced a 6-month long curfew on Saturdays and Sundays. He no longer even had the freedom of a weekend!
Jacob felt a surge of anger and frustration. As he walked home, he thought about his options. He could continue to live under the government's control, always watching his words and actions, or he could take a stand for freedom, even if it meant losing everything. But what was left to lose – he owned nothing and was far from happy! As he realised what he was thinking, he desperately tried to empty his mind, knowing that those thoughts were not only dangerous but that they were being monitored. The problem was the more he tried to fight the thoughts, the more his mind doubled down on them.
When he arrived home, he plonked himself down at the kitchen table and sighed. He knew that he could not go on living like this, that the control over his life was intolerable. As he sat there staring blankly ahead, another message popped up on his phone. This time it was the police, informing him about the dangers of thought crime and the myriad methods of avoiding it.
That was step one in the typical police response to thought crime and it normally was enough to frighten most people back into mediocrity but if a perpetrator persisted, step two would come into play, and step two was decidedly more hands-on.
The easiest method to avoid thought crime, according to the helpful police advice, was for Jacob to get lost in some inane game or app on his smart phone. He sighed again. If he decided to take a stand it would only end up with him in jail… or worse. The alternative was to surrender to Candy Crush or Roblox or whatever the hell was the latest mind-numbing app being peddled by Big Tech.
Jacob put down the phone and again stared blankly ahead. Again, he sighed.
Completely lost in thought, Jacob sat motionless. In fact, he took so long to do anything that his phone was automaticallg locked. He picked it up again to re-read the police advice. With the pained expression on Jacob’s face, the phone could not detect his likeness to enable facial recognition to unlock his screen. And so the phone asked him to re-enter his password. He’d always had the facial recognition setting switched on so it was a long time since he’d had to enter his phone password; so long in fact he’d almost forgotten it. But then he remembered.
It was FREEDOM.
George Christensen is a former Australian politician, a Christian, freedom lover, conservative, blogger, podcaster, journalist and theologian. He has been feted by the Epoch Times as a “champion of human rights” and his writings have been praised by Infowars’ Alex Jones as “excellent and informative”.
George believes Nation First will be an essential part of the ongoing fight for freedom:
“The time is now for every proud patriot to step to the fore and fight for our freedom, sovereignty and way of life. Information is a key tool in any battle and the Nation First newsletter will be a valuable tool in the battle for the future of the West.”
— George Christensen.
Find more about George at his www.georgechristensen.com.au website.
We have to do anything to prevent this from happening but I suggest we pray to God as he is our saviour and redeemer.The only way to God is through Jesus Christ as he died for us on the cross at Calvary.AMEN
GOD WINS! ❤️🙏🏻😇