A World Without Creativity

By Arunanshu Chatterjee

To whoever it may concern,

I am writing this in the hope that one of our brethren may find it and know where to find it. If you are one of us, please know that you are not alone. If you are unaware of what I am talking about, well, I hope you like stories. 

I do not live in any apocalyptic world. To be fair, until six months, this world used to be fairly normal. However, it all changed with the advent of XenCorp. A “futurist, innovative” tech company that seemed to come up with crazy new innovations to ease human life. Well, that was what it seemed at first. We were very happy. For the first time, a company seemed so genuinely interested in solving real world problems with technology affordably.

XenCorp’s rise was smooth, fluid, almost irresistible. It was when they permeating into the controlling powers of the world that some people raised alarm bells. However, they were quick to assay those fears, stating their irrefutable end goal of helping humanity. 

Now, you would think that the robots went haywire and devolved into a cybernetic fight. No, the problem came from within the company. Six months ago, they passed a bill in the UN, that simply stated, “human creativity was a hindrance to their mental growth.” As expected, there were huge protests when this bill was controversially approved by the International Court of Justice. However, the tipping point did not come due to the ICJ approving it, but when several countries began to enforce it as a law and creativity as a punishable offence. 

It is funny right, how one human’s psychopathic view was so easily absorbed by the world since the human was a charming person with supposed best interests at heart. Truly, it reminded a few people of a 1940s German dictator. And thus, a global ban on creativity began. Books were seized and burnt, newspapers abolished, and art destroyed. The historical monuments were modified and fitted with modern technology. They lost their glamour and charm, to be replaced with something cold and mechanical.

Opposition to this law rose amongst a small section of the masses. The beginnings were in UK. A group of writers and artists rose in rebellion against these oppressive laws on humanity. It came as a surprise when other people, instead of supporting it, quickly denounced it and followed their Leader’s oppressive policies.

The turning point in the rebellion came four months ago, when a protest group against XenCorp was ambushed by the British Government and killed. Soon, the situation devolved. It went from a protest to an outright war. Countries who harboured and saved us “creativists” were declared war upon and attacked. The world moved to a Third World War.

A little bit about me should be said I suppose. When the war was breaking out, I was just starting out as a novelist. Suddenly. I found my house bombed and destroyed in a raid. My family dead, I snuck out in the dead of the night to an escapist home housing people like me. We crossed the bored to our neighbouring country next night.

The hunt for survival. At the beginning, we were one of the many survival groups. As time went on, we received news of the fall of our own. Soon we decided to change countries again. Our plan went something like this- Find a way to Middle East, find a hideout there and move to India. India was one of the last superpowers that actively housed creativists like us. 

We found our way to India around two months ago. Since then, we have resided here. As the outside world burns and falls, India remains strong. The Western world resembles a horror movie apocalypse, but India stands vibrant as a beacon of hope. Not without effect though, India too did suffer from the international backlash. 

All good things do not last however, as India was soon attacked upon. The country led a valiant resistance, hitting back twice. However, its defence faltered after weeks of action and the attackers managed to overpower them. That is how we lost our last real home.

I hope I have managed to convince you to join in our support. As I sit here writing this, I imagine what my life could have been, if not for XenCorp. 

If you are one of them, I have nothing to say to you. There is a reason we say that the pen is mightier than the sword, and some day we shall prove it to you. We may be the last remnants of humanity, but we will prevail.

I must go now. I hear footsteps coming…

The young child reading the letter cried softly as he thought of all the pain the writer must have endured through. He looked at the place from where he picked up the letter lying on the ground and was met the face of a dead man, his eyes lifeless and his body riddled with gunshot wounds.

The young boy pocketed the letter and promised, “ do not worry sir, the rebellion will live on through the next generation.” 

By Arunanshu Chatterjee