SMARTPHONE BATTLE

A multilingual reading experience

0. Intro: The Smartphone Battle

We live immersed in a silent war fought every day on our screens. The smartphone has become an extension of our body and mind, transforming our daily lives into a continuous pursuit of attention and digital approval. Amid incessant notifications and dopamine rushes, we have surrendered control of our emotions and consciousness to a device that isolates us while promising to connect us. This is the true battle of our century: an invisible pandemic that alters our relationships, our perception of reality, and even our very being, often leaving us disarmed and deprived of dignity in the face of an uninterrupted stream of distractions.

1. Low blows

Just like in a boxing match, after going at it without holding back, the moment comes to tally up the score and go to the judges' cards, where the referee raises the winner's arm, awarding them a fine world championship belt. Thus, in an instant, your life has passed, and the slaps you received and dealt were nothing more than a means to reach where you have arrived.

Then come the ritual photographs of the champion and the other participants, with their swollen faces, blood dripping from their noses and eyebrows, broken teeth, and fractured ribs. Everyone is exhausted, standing together for photos with the champion, whose arm is raised in victory, no longer even able to comprehend what is happening as they suddenly find themselves surrounded by a cannibalistic crowd. Some want a photo, an autograph, someone pats them on the back, and everywhere chants and shouts echo their name. Some look at them and say they are great, while others smile, claiming they never had any doubt about their triumph.

And it is in that precise moment that, as during a solar eclipse, you pass from darkness into light, open your eyes, and realize that you are that boxer, and that the life you live—and that we all live—is just one long boxing tournament where low blows prevail. Curious, then, that it is precisely low blows, forbidden in boxing matches, that are the ones we must defend against most in our daily lives. Whether you are a winner or a loser, in the course of your life, you too will have dealt some low blows.

And so, all that is left for us to do is watch and comment on what will happen to the next victim in this sea of starving wretches that is humanity!

2. All of us

Sometimes we find ourselves at home, and when we are alone, we reflect on the vicissitudes that filled our day and rethink the things that happened. We like to romanticize them, whether it was a pleasant situation or not, until a new day arrives—the following day, yet another day to live, always starting over from the beginning, or almost, balancing on a fine wire as if we were constantly walking on a thin line, which can be understood as our stability.

Every day is a new day, and the cycle continues until one manages to cross over into the next day.

All of us tend to erase the things we don't like or that have had a negative impact on our lives; it has always been that way. However, in the past, a simple difference of opinion, a disagreeing thought, a poorly spoken word, or inappropriate behavior would pass or, at most, present an opportunity to clarify things through conversation, but most of the time there was simply nothing more to say. All of this is no longer possible today. If you are a shopkeeper, for instance, and you use social networks or instant messaging applications, the problems of your business follow you right under the covers at night when you go to sleep, whereas for public employees, most of their work problems end when they clock out and leave the office.

And now we are just like those shopkeepers, exchanging messages with anyone until the very last flutter of our eyelashes tells us it is time to drop the phone.

3. The pandemic (but which one?)

The pandemic we are living through is real, and we don't even realize it. But which one? The smartphone pandemic!

Ever since this object arrived in our hands, problems that could previously be managed and resolved in person—even if not always in the hoped-for way—have multiplied negatively in every social class and situation imaginable. Compared to the global scenario in today's world, I truly believe we have lost something important along the way.

Let us consider and analyze the phenomenon of couple jealousy, which used to be a symbol of love. If we really want to remember how it was! Most of the time people would laugh about it, tease each other among friends, because there was much more real communication between the acquaintances of the two unfortunates involved.

But even then, let's be clear, there were those who sought to distort real dynamics for their own benefit, causing a rift between the two parties. Starving wretches without dignity from the older generation, I would tend to classify them as such.

Now, however, if you step into the parallel realm of jealousy, you must be very careful, because you—and everyone else—have an extremely powerful tool in your hands. It can help you find clarity, but it can also drive you crazy and ruin your life. Most of the time, in fact, when you find yourself immersed in one of these situations, your theories risk being amplified by certainties that are not actual certainties, but merely hypotheses built from the mountain of information gathered by "stalking" your significant other through meticulous scrutiny of their social networks.

In the grip of jealousy, you spend days checking likes on your partner's posts, their friend requests, and so on. Your brain and your thoughts are mush by now; you continue to feed your neurons, your cells, your organs, and your blood, scrolling over and over through texts, words, and images on your phone. Your emotional state shifts abruptly; everything you digest through your eyes forcibly enters and even alters your immune system, exposing you to so-called "lovesickness." Whether you like it or not, the relationship is over for both of you because the spell is broken; the sooner you acknowledge it, the sooner you can start walking toward a new hope for love.

Love is something you can touch with your hand, but only your hand can send you the message that what you are touching is indeed love.

This "smartphone pandemic" strikes wherever there is a simple comment on a post, regardless of the topic, and often unpleasant situations arise simply because people failed to express themselves correctly and participants misconstrued words—words that are used less and less as time goes on. If you think about it, we are in the middle of a language shift that began precisely with the massive use of the internet and, above all, social networks.

Another example—and I will state a cliché that we all know by now because we've experienced it—is the famous "blue checkmarks," introduced first by a globally famous messaging app and now used by many other new applications. These "blue checkmarks," which highlight that a sent message has been "read," have driven masses of people crazy because they didn't receive an immediate response.

But it doesn't end there: instant chat apps are perhaps even more devastating when used incorrectly. They create a total absence of self-love, reducing one's self to a slave of its own behavior.

When discussing the issues and pitfalls hidden behind smartphones and social networks, many people respond: "Yes, that's true, but I can control it." But that is not the case. Beyond the addiction factor, smartphone use stimulates our brain to release dopamine, which surges when we are in a state of euphoria or special happiness over a successful meeting, good news, a promotion, or a simple win. If we analyze that state of exhilaration and associate it with smartphone use, we can state that simply scrolling and laughing at comments, videos, and posts, or better yet, getting a flood of likes from a message or photo we posted, makes us feel good and validated—hence, addicted.

In my view, the most subtle path to triggering this addiction is notifications, which, if active on your phone, turn out to be the greatest danger, representing the primary level capable of capturing our interest.

But beware: why do I consider the notification to be the most dangerous vehicle? Because it can be rewarding if, once checked, it turns out to be positive, but it can also alter your mood if it does not bring what was expected. The same thing happened in the past, when smartphones with this technology didn't exist, and people waited for news. The news might arrive in the form of a letter or a phone call, at which point we acknowledged it, but it was a well-controlled phenomenon compared to today. Now everything is out of control.

Throughout the day, we find ourselves facing emotional highs and lows, not only due to notifications we deem personal and relevant to us. The reckless use of global communication and the ability it gives everyone to access real-time news creates an emotional roller coaster across a vast array of topics—a roller coaster that slowly devastates us inside, acting upon multiple emotional states.

Perhaps this explains why we all have this urge to share whatever we do or think during the day: we always want to do more to appear online and receive our daily dose of dopamine and adrenaline.

Here is a prime example that we have all experienced. You are out having dinner, you take a nice photo of the fantastic pizza you are eating, and you share it, writing some nonsense in the post: "Delicious, slightly charred just the way I like it!" and so on. Then you place your phone on the table and eat your pizza, whether you are alone or with company.

A few minutes pass, and you receive your first notifications and feel glad—there goes the dopamine rising inside you. You are eating a delicious pizza which, when you decided to go out for it, also released doses of dopamine. Shifting your gaze to the phone, however, you think: "I'll check them later," especially because you are at the table with others. But sometimes no, you check your phone immediately and, in that instant, you self-exclude from the evening with your friends or from the atmosphere of the venue. You find yourself eating with your head down staring at a screen; if you are in company, maybe they posted a photo too, and maybe they received notifications as well. Adrenaline is at its peak; between bites, people laugh while passing the phone around: "Look what this person commented."

Or: "How cute that emoji is... shoot, we forgot to ask Gloria if she wanted to eat pizza with us, what jerks... oh well."

The comments are almost always the same, resembling a perpetual copy-paste:

• – “Mmmm delicious, have a great evening my love!” (the best friend).
• – “Look at that pizza, where are you?” (interested in nosing into your business).
• – “Could you ask the chef what kind of dough that is!? I've never seen it look so crisp” (aspiring cook).
• – “How nice, you didn't even invite me, so sweet” (Gloria).
• – “I hope you all choke” (lonely hater).
• – “In this economic crisis, this seems like a sacrilege and a waste you could have spared yourselves” (the humanitarian volunteer).
• – “Eat up, eat up, because when the bill arrives I'll be the one laughing... bye beauties” (shy suitor trying to get noticed by the volunteer).
• – “Come home soon and have a good evening” (mom).
• – “Mmmmmm, checkered tablecloth, pizza plate larger than the pizza itself, paper cup... I bet you're at a trattoria” (detective).
• – “I'm having squid and shrimp by the sea instead, fantastic breeze accompanied by a good bottle of wine” (the lonely prince).

More or less, our life right now is this: everyone glued to their smartphone. Consequently, we have little regard for ourselves and for the fact that we can achieve satisfaction in our daily lives without using phones. Phones that turn us into heartless beasts, like that time a man got out of his burning car, engulfed in flames, and a passerby filmed a short video to share online instead of stopping to render aid. The man died a few days later from his burns.

Or bloggers, or ordinary people, who film fights and situations that sometimes have tragic endings and, when questioned about their choice, claim they had to film to have proof. Proof of what?

There are those who walk around holding a frying pan for 24 hours, or sleep on a scooter for 48 hours: these are the famous challenges, essentially extreme dares. And sometimes, behind these kids—for those who are good at it and have a social media following—there are actual marketing agencies making them money (sometimes a lot of money), but what are they doing with their lives? Nonsense. Nonsense that makes people laugh in the moment, influencing others to do more nonsense. That way, we think, we have fun, and maybe escaping into this modus operandi even does us good once in a while.

However, often the very people who have reached a high level of approval and audience lose control and choose to flaunt disproportionate wealth by making videos with wads of cash or even weapons... and sometimes both.

As mentioned, time and again cell phones are used to make videos to record an event we are witnessing, purely for the pleasure of sharing it and getting near-instant gratification that releases a certain amount of dopamine, adrenaline, and endorphins in our bodies. There are hundreds of cases daily worldwide that illustrate this dramatic situation: always being ready, even at the expense of others, to make a video or post news to seek popularity—a factor that leads right back to the advertising marketing we mentioned. Agencies that once worked across newspapers and television to advertise a product are now inside the network, and above all, inside social networks.

In recent years, out of nowhere, marketing agencies and small web entrepreneurs have emerged—individuals who manage to manipulate network data, some genuine, but many not. The network has become a true jungle to capture followers and approval; programmers and hackers have teamed up for sole financial gain, stepping over all morality to sell fake followers, likes, and comments to rise in algorithmic favor. Many public figures and their agencies systematically purchase these products, mostly from external programmers and agencies located predominantly in Asian countries, India above all.

Unfortunately, we are all drawn to this smartphone technology; it is as if we have a personal butler we can consult for any need, which is true and, if you think about it, a good thing—especially because if people now have greater access to information and knowledge, it means higher culture and personal evolution at a pace and timing chosen by each individual.

The negative aspect is that this system is also utilized by those who want the exact opposite and seek to destabilize reality and channel an idea or thought into the real world: politics.

4. Politics

The real problem, the cause of many evils in this century, is the use of social media, the web, and mobile phones by politics. Politics, in my view, ought to be a subject of discussion for all citizens; instead, today's politicians, besides making statements of intent, use social networks to spread various falsehoods about events as well as hatred toward minorities, carrying out full-blown online propaganda.

You will all remember that politician who shared a video of a Black man washing himself in a public fountain accompanied by text that was indecent, to say the least. Furthermore, that same politician, using his social media account, promoted that video and others—all regarding immigrants and other desperate forms of inequality—specifically targeted at an audience in the 14-to-18 age group.

For those unaware, posts on social networks can be promoted for a fee, and among the many distribution options available, one can also select the target audience's age range. Therefore, advertising a video against immigrants, trampling on human rights to a young audience that cannot currently vote, simply means spreading racial hatred in the hope of securing votes when those kids come of age and can head to the ballot boxes.

The quality of information we receive today through social networks has reached ultimate levels of degradation. Very rarely, if ever, can people debate ideas and proposals; almost always, one simply scrolls through attacks back and forth, and citizens, drawn into this vortex, do nothing but clash with each other through comments and insults to win the title of "most creative." This "winner" appears funny to others and gains their moment of fame, amplified by shares and satire shows highlighting social media occurrences. Inevitably, politics transforms and reaches a state of comedy, driven by the very people using screensaver tactics.

The dignity of each of us is now a forgotten value: just to appear and receive approval, people engage in the most senseless antics. Because one must always appear, express oneself, and offer judgment at all times.

“Which side are you on?”
How many times have we heard this question asked by journalists and TV hosts to guests on television shows? “You must take a side and tell us where you stand!” A subtle psychological game dictated precisely by social media usage and the shift in communication we are witnessing.

Let's also remember all the tall tales fed to us from morning to night: most of the time, what they say is wrong. Always, and I mean always, the news broadcast, even if true, has been distorted. Everything you believe to be the truth because you trust industry professionals has, most of the time, been twisted and cannot be considered a certainty. Nowadays, the only people who stay afloat and remain free-thinking are those who manage to elbow their way through the network and inform themselves on their own; everyone else risks becoming mere victims of this framework.

We are noticing this with the two ongoing wars: as much as people are now relatively autonomous in their thinking, we observe worldwide a distortion of the truth enacted by rulers that in no way reflects absolute reality.

We used to get the news from evening news broadcasts or daily newspapers. Now, with the advent of technology and social networks, anyone interested in politics who follows certain channels is bombarded all day long with news of varying reliability. Our behavior and use of these devices do the rest, and unless we practice self-criticism and diligence by trying to observe ourselves from a couple of meters away, we find ourselves trapped in how we spend that moment of our time.

Bombarding! That is what it is about.

Remember the story in Italy about the "Scooter Bonus"? It makes you laugh, to tell the truth, but how many people were bombarded by this nonsense? Were you? If so, please reflect: was your thinking altered regarding the topic? Think about it. A "Scooter Bonus" never existed; there was an "Electric Bonus," which offered discounts on electric transport, and people bought electric bicycles. Genius.

5. Altered DNA

Human evolution is largely driven by experiences and everything learned and passed down over millions of years. Thus, our DNA has gradually altered, century after century, assimilating the knowledge of every individual who has inhabited the Earth.

Now that we are in the internet age, humanity is undergoing an acceleration in terms of individual knowledge. Everyone can update their hard drive (the brain) in whatever way they wish, using personal methods of learning and evaluation. In essence, we are now truly free to form our own thinking based on personal knowledge, utilizing the internet, since many concepts previously out of reach for most of the population are now accessible to all. An individual can delve into and dedicate themselves to subjects previously denied to them without specific formal studies.

Today, everyone is free to dedicate their time on the internet to evolve their self, knowledge, and understanding. There are nearly two billion websites online, many featuring free content on diverse topics. One can even earn a degree or diploma through accredited online universities offering numerous faculties. We are all contributing to the evolution of human knowledge, and we are completely free. Or perhaps we are only free in appearance.

Despite having the opportunity to be autonomous in knowledge, we tend to rely on others, thereby continuing to leave the outcome of our lives in someone else's hands.

We have been so heavily bombarded with the need to be present and appear online to gain visibility that even those committing crimes of varying severity—from trivial acts to the most ferocious crimes like murder or assault—are shared online or in chat groups. The main goal is receiving instant gratification via likes from people who, amid degradation, see and glorify false idols to follow and emulate.

It cannot be ruled out that the content we watch—largely devoid of moral censorship—is gradually altering our inner self and consciousness. Thoughts, words, and consequently actions that we end up imitating, because our reference point is everything we have assimilated over hours spent in front of the screen.

We could cite many past and present examples, but gang sexual assaults by very young people are worth analyzing. Where do these youngsters gather such harmful information? From the web, obviously, as we can easily imagine. If we apply the framework described earlier, constantly viewing any type of content leads to its assimilation by our subconscious; when needed, our reference point will be precisely what we assimilated throughout our lives.

Being able to watch free pornographic videos without age restrictions on a smartphone has led the youth to demystify sex much earlier than the previous generation. Before, to see breasts or a backside, the most daring and reckless had to go to newsstands where, if they found an obliging newsagent, they could buy pornographic magazines that were mostly healthy—yes, healthy.

Because now it is not like that; online it is a mess in the truest sense of the word. We find adult videos featuring varying levels of violence or submission, as well as rape scenes or more or less genuine abuse.

So we must be very careful, and if we notice our inner self changing along that path of violence and hatred, we have the power to stop.

We can rise above ourselves whenever we want, to observe ourselves at any moment of our daily lives. Him and Here.

6. The ball

“Crazy stuff!” read a banner held by Fiorentina fans in Italy.
What is the game of football? I believe we should simply place it on the list of humanity's great discoveries that gave soul and contributed to human evolution. In fact, I'll go further: if we classify human discoveries that propelled the evolution of our species, in my opinion, first place belongs to the ball, which has been present for over 5,000 years.

Whoever invented the wheel—classified by science as a starting point for modern evolution—must surely have started from the ball: they simply flattened its sides. Can you picture it? So, I wonder, if scientists don't mention the ball when discussing great human discoveries for evolution, are they hiding something from us? Perhaps they are! The ball.

If you think about it, the invention of the ball goes back many centuries, as shown by depictions ranging from prehistoric cave art to advanced civilizations like the Egyptians, Mayans, Greeks, and Romans, with various paintings and statues depicting spherical forms. Furthermore, notes and texts describing ball games exist in several manuscripts.

Apelles, son of Apollo, made a ball of chicken skin, and all the fish came to the surface to see the chicken skin ball made by Apelles, son of Apollo.

Thus, we can state that the ball, as a spherical object and through our use of it, evolves just as humanity evolves along with the uses man finds for it.

In the world we know, the ball is used as a toy for infants and children, and above all, for sports. Our pets love it too—balls big and small that roll, make noise, and entertain our furry friends. But pay attention!

Why did humans 5,000 years ago start crafting this spherical shape using whatever materials were available—a shape later named a ball, which became essential given our extensive use of it?

I would like to invite you to reflect on the fact that certain animal species use a sphere of varying sizes for gestation—from traditional eggs to various spherical casings, balls of different sizes depending on the animal.

So, could the ball be an idea conceived 5,000 years ago by observing the eggs of certain animal species? Likely so, but I believe there is more to it.

We find this spherical shape in raindrops; our cells are spherical at their center, and a woman during gestation resembles a ball. “What a beautiful big belly!” we often exclaim to a pregnant woman.

Dozens of other examples exist in our known world where life passes through a spherical shape. We could look at the sky and the universe, where planets and stars are spherical. Farther out in deep space, we find black holes, also depicted as spheres—the entire universe is inhabited by spherical particles!

And what about our eyes? Our eyeballs are spheres!

What am I trying to say, you might ask? That perhaps the true and only discovery key to humanity's relentless evolution is the ball! The very object discovered by man during his stay on this planet, from which he took the idea to create a simple game, later used in countless other applications, like cannonballs and early bullets. The ball is the essence of life: from the ball new life is born, yet sometimes from the ball comes death.

We might have sacrificed, perhaps unintentionally, purely for entertainment, the source of knowledge and the truth that everything is connected—we are all connected, and that very connection yields our intellect.

The ball is used in sports that excite us most: from football, which attracts millions, to basketball, tennis, volleyball, baseball, golf, table tennis, and many other games accompanying our lives from birth to death. We move from one game to another based on physical strength and endurance, ending with bocce.

The ball and its spherical shape can be observed even in a single drop, making this form a necessary and indispensable part of life across the known universe. If we manage to comprehend it in its entirety, our evolution will expand further; many theories on different topics could be re-evaluated or integrated with one another.

Perhaps if we understood that the oceans, like the sky and universe—so vast and fascinating—are nothing more than billions of water drops carrying all their knowledge acquired over billions of years, we might see the solution to all world problems right before our eyes: if we work together, putting aside personal disputes that divide rather than unite, we could better understand that each of us is a single drop. And what would the world be if we were all metaphorically united, and in an instant, our unity revealed an immense ocean separating the sky from its marvelous Universe?

7. Mark couldn't have known

Since social media networks now hold the largest audience of all, everyone uses them for personal gain. This can be seen in every global event that captures our attention.

I don't think Mark Zuckerberg, creator of Facebook—the first major social network—expected such rapid evolution and such disproportionate, unhealthy usage of his invention by almost everyone.

The original idea was to connect university student networks, but as we know, that format did not last long. Once Facebook became globally available, people began using it without restrictions or care during registration. That was the real social bomb.

Most people starting out on Facebook held at least two accounts, if not more. One real, or nearly real, including friends, relatives, and new acquaintances; the other "incognito"—since there were no restrictions (any email address sufficed)—allowing them to freely spy on acquaintances. Everyone requested friendship from everyone, almost everyone accepted, and the boldest reached 5,000 followers. Very often, these were lonely women, homemakers, and widows who went from living isolated lives imposed by society to receiving attention from total strangers. This could have been positive, and for some real people, it may have improved life by dispelling loneliness. Unfortunately, the story doesn't end there... Men started opening accounts under women's names, using fake profiles and fake pictures, solely to gain as many followers as possible.

Gradually, the concept of social media "commerce" took shape: having many followers meant having an attentive audience, and that audience could translate into financial gain.

Back then, some opened hundreds of female-named accounts to amass thousands of followers without ever interacting much. A female-inspired profile picture—like a pair of stockings or a backside—was enough for people to send friend requests. Thus, dormant accounts were created, which were later transformed into product accounts with the right idea, since most people paid no attention to the account name change.

These fake accounts were also sold: anyone wanting an account with 5,000 followers right away could buy one (5,000 was the maximum limit on early Facebook). Email addresses and passwords were sold, providing an account with a sizeable audience for the time in the blink of an eye.

Chaos reigns across social media networks; while the honest and less clumsy stay out, others fall victim to unscrupulous opportunists. People fail to realize that their personal data is gradually stored: we are given the freedom to share whatever we want, but beyond the platform itself, this data is extracted by third-party agencies that resell it or use it to compile usage graphs regarding our searches and preferences, serving us targeted audio and video content.

At the dawn of the social media era, people were completely absorbed by the novelty, which is understandable. Whatever was offered—apps, games, chat features—created a world of complete dependency. Everything was new and exciting. You might recall how often a friend asked if you had downloaded a certain new app or game.

Now things have changed; the system has saturated us. We entrusted our lives, tastes, and consumption habits to it, while it worked to subjugate us under a far broader plan: total control of the world.

8. Assault video games

Consider video games, especially war games. Kids spend all day playing, immersed in a virtual battlefield, headphones on, with digital bullets whizzing overhead.

Personally, as a gamer myself, I remember one of the early titles featuring the Normandy landings—perhaps the first to mark a turning point for the genre—and I must say that even after two decades, I still hear bullets whizzing over my head.

Based on this total addiction acquired through screen exposure—in this case, for distraction and playing virtual war—we find ourselves today in a continent where weapons are sold more readily than tomatoes: the United States of America.

A nation where a young person—who could easily be your child or friend—after playing for days, weeks, and months, sharing missions and achievements online, teaming up and getting hyped, can unnoticed develop internal issues regarding family and social life. Issues that can ultimately prove harmful, given that under the U.S. Constitution, anyone can purchase virtually any weapon or military gear. It is a legalized trade with shops scattered across the country, fostering a true cult even among simple collectors who cover entire walls with firearms of every kind.

I, for instance, collect stuffed animals, just as others have different hobbies; but if you are born in the United States, owning weapons is ultimately just another hobby!

Perhaps in a country like the United States, more caution should be exercised, because—as is public knowledge—current laws date back to times when self-defense meant buying a simple Colt, whereas today, under the same law, one can buy an assault rifle. Rifles just like the ones kids use in third-millennium video games, except these are real.

So, the young person in question, hooked on online gaming, walks past a display window featuring a nice rifle for just $800—and that rifle is physically right there!

“How cool! That's the one I unlocked during my video game mission. Look how awesome it is, and it's only $800!”

Days pass, and during another walk, he passes the same display window, sometimes stopping to look, including a day when he happens to have money in his pocket. That day, looking through the glass, examining every detail once more, he feels the rifle has his name on it. Tempted, with enough cash in his wallet, he thinks: “Let's not do something stupid.”

Then, on an ordinary day, a firecracker snaps in his mind—a sharp, loud bang leaving an echo that fades into complete silence, broken only by a violent scream. Alone and dead inside, plagued by depressive thoughts, the young man ends up at the gun shop, willing or not, and buys the rifle.

Finally, he has a true, loyal friend—a friend who can help silence all the hypocrisy in the world, or someone who bullied him, perhaps via the internet or university group chats, or the jerk at the corner store who always mocked him with stupid remarks while he thought: “Look at these assholes, how dare they.”

Now he wants to make them pay with their lives: “You'll all pay, you filthy wretches.” He enters the store and fires, making his pain vanish. If he's lucky, he is killed by special forces or a sheriff; if not, he is arrested and forced to spend every day pondering how his life turned out this way.

In between lies the possibility that he disappears, never to be mentioned again, becoming a government agent.

After all, for major world powers, someone who commits certain crimes and faces life in prison can, if capable, become an asset without a name or surname.

9. To all citizens

Across every country in the world, a heavy atmosphere prevails, driven by recent hardships ranging from the Covid-19 pandemic to two recent wars and everything they entail.

Following the storm of the pandemic, after grieving lost family and friends, everyone expected real change and a positive fresh start, but the outbreak of these two senseless wars shattered that dream.

Post-Covid and prior to the war in Ukraine, a sense of hope existed globally; nations spoke of solidarity and global well-being, leading to the activation of the NRRP in Europe and similar recovery systems worldwide.

National governments certainly faced difficult circumstances after Covid, as no one had previously managed a modern pandemic, but choices made during hardship are precisely what instill hope and trust in populations.

Governments—no offense intended—did everything and its opposite; an internal analysis would reveal hundreds of missed opportunities to offer more to citizens.

To offer courage instead of anger.
To offer hope instead of frustration.

It is understandably difficult to find solutions satisfying everyone, but you, Presidents of various nations, are Presidents for all citizens, not just your voters. You cannot forget those less fortunate in life due to where they were born, or those seeking a better place to live and start over—especially since the unlivability of certain countries was created or fueled by you or your predecessors.

Such mediocre behavior benefits no one, not even your voters, believe me—at least not the vast majority. Creating discrimination and acting authoritatively never leads to good outcomes long-term.

Immediate parliamentary inquiries should be launched regarding ongoing disgraceful events, without pointing fingers at alleged culprits—after all, deep down everyone knows the who and why no longer matter.

A starting point would be global recognition of the State of Palestine by all nations, bringing an end to this spectacle of atrocities. Likewise, ending the war in Ukraine immediately. How you reach agreements is up to you, but making the Donbas regions free and autonomous from both Ukraine and Russia could be a solution. Ultimately, everyone involved has lost in this war.

Continuing on the media contamination underlying this text, the reckless use of the web—and social networks in particular—has showcased the crudest war propaganda. I recall weeks into the conflict when Ukraine received state-of-the-art tanks as military aid, presented by mainstream media and circulated online with such precise detail that it felt like an Oscars presentation. They sought to capture our curiosity on the subject, attempting to insert... war into our lives!

They continue doing so through "time loops"—repeatedly broadcasting the same issue or incident over time. Consider how often recently we have heard about the "nuclear threat": time seems to freeze while men, women, and children die, while everything is destroyed, and meanwhile "they" collect profits generated by the economic crisis planned during that exact timeframe.

These two recent major conflicts, Ukraine-Russia and Israel-Palestine, at the expense of European citizens, are enriching multinational corporations that have controlled global affairs for centuries. Countless other wars and uprisings exist worldwide sharing a clear common denominator: the interest of a powerful few, such as "oil barons," pharmaceutical giants, banking titans, and arms manufacturers.

I picture you, the powerful, seated at a fine table deciding the fate of your countries, assuming populations remain unaware of how the world operates.

Hiding behind false ideologies and distorting reality using media and compliant politics brings honor to no one.

Human honor has always been distinguished by courage, not concealment.

Your actions are bringing this planet to collapse—a planet inhabited by your own families, children, and friends. Once destroyed materially and metaphorically, what will remain except vast sums of money that will only then appear useless?

In the case of the United States, this lesson was delivered centuries ago when native populations of North America were displaced and destroyed. The same violent conquest behavior applies to all states that committed extermination and land seizures during colonialism, across dynasties from Atlantic to Latin to Asian populations.

Religions and ideologies form the core of wars—all of them.

Wars and social divisions that most citizens no longer wish to witness firsthand, because knowledge and evolution are now within everyone's reach. Humanity has suffered so much over centuries that it no longer wishes to endure further pain.

You made us free to think through support for scientific research leading to the internet, opening global communication.

And now? Do you want to kill us all?

We will let you play Risk and Monopoly as long as you like, but leave us to live in peace and with the dignity we rightfully deserve, and rest assured we will fulfill our duties gladly. Unfortunately for you, we exist too.

10. The Heart

Most of the population cannot detach from mobile phones, which over recent decades have developed numerous applications, some very useful. However, as things stand, this may be just the beginning of a test on how humanity might evolve. When this text was written in 2024, the large-scale rollout of artificial intelligence had not yet begun. We can observe how AI in certain environments is bringing out the worst in us; people play, and it all seems like a game, but real lives are at stake. Following this timeline, the rapid arrival of robots tied to accelerated mass AI evolution will bring new scenarios, and as predicted, human beings will come close to becoming humanoids—half human and half machine, partly through various microchip implants.

Everything that now seems useful—the phone storing everything for us—was once handled by our natural system: the brain... Beyond replacing and diminishing our memory capacity and attention span (which is directed elsewhere), the mobile phone isolates each individual. A subtle virus has entered our brain, infecting and continuing to infect our neurons and blood, sickening our heart. A heart that, besides enduring emotional highs and lows throughout the day, is subjected to magnetic fields and frequencies bouncing off our aura whenever we use this device, draining our human essence. Like a script already written with a predetermined ending, it will leave us without even saying Goodbye.