Volume 3, Issue 7, July 2022
Michael Klein
Pages 26-34
Sort of Polarity
Is it important to see and understand the perspectives of everyone in society, or is it better to live a life with less strife by spending your time with a select group of people? In this work of philosophical short story fiction, the narrator wakes up one day to find his vision has started to blur. He tries to see an eye doctor, but appointments are backed up for months. It seems every human in the world is suffering from the same, new, affliction. Under this new disease, at certain distances, half of the population. The pattern isn’t related to race or gender, and seems entirely random, but does not change over time. But the problem is serious. Some husbands can’t see their wives. Some servers at restaurants can’t see their patrons. To solve the problem, and for safety, people start to group together that can see each other. This splits neighborhoods and restaurants as they focus on serving only people capable of seeing everyone in the community. The transition period is awkward, but in the end, everything gets worked out. Finally, scientists invent glasses to allow everyone to see each other, but it seems a waste at this point. Everything has been sorted out already; no need to see everyone as things are generally fine the way they are.