I was so hooked. The sleek, gleaming curves and the ever so simplistic designs. I wanted to hold the shining monoliths in my hand, behold the intrinsic wonders each structure held and manipulate the world at the slightest touch. I had fallen for the sweet promises and for the lily-white innocence that oozed from every unit of its presence. I would have brought down the very mountains to gain access to the secrets they held, broken through the gets of heaven to claim its divine powers. I was, for all intents and purposes, theirs.
That was so long ago. Another lifetime, maybe. Now, the sparkling veneer has been tarnished; ruined by the stains of its own power. What shine remains is now a blinding curse, catching all in its wake and manipulating them to its deceitful process. Once we were promised freedom, and that promise now bites down like the snare it has become. The silvery towers that stand watch over the streets, drawing in the public like an electro-magnet more powerful than any Sun and parading the latest line of portable starlight available for them to take for their own. I have stood inside these galleries, just like they are now. I even made an attempt to rise above my station and become one of the annointed who stalk among the common-men, spreading the word so that they may be saved. How lucky it was that I was overlooked.
Now I know what is really true. These empowered and privileged few, so welcoming and resourceful, are simply herders. Shepherding the unworthy to a new life under the dominion of their masters. Pressing them to the new collective that resides under the spell of the unquestioned leader. Cosying those stronger in spirit so that they too may break. I have seen the darkness behind their eyes; the true intents that lurk beneath such good intentions. And I ran, slipping from the chain I had so nearly bound me to what I know now to be inevitable. The curse that can never be broken. Of this I know all too well.
For I am not truly free. Noone ever can be. But I was lucky. For some, it is far too late. They are tied for life to their masters' whim. Drained of their souls in exchange for each new upgrade, each step of progress that is made, each new vital enhancement that embeds itself into the everyday lives of those caught up in its wake. Each of us are now dependant. Each of us needs its influence in order to survive. Even now I am out of its mental hold, I am not free of its grip on my life. I am sure I never will. It is this that pushes me to fight against the shadow that has fallen over the glistening Ivory temples that once seemed like a new way of life. I can only hope that, one day, my cause will win out and I can rid myself of the plight that has such a strong hold on my life. But I do not hold such hope too strongly. The reach of the Apple spreads far and wide and its gaze can peer around any corner.
(Events have been exaggerated in the interests of entertainment. Hopefully.)
