Sneak Peek of Feierabend: The Artist
A short excerpt from my upcoming near-future sci-fi novel.
The launch of Feierabend - The Final Clock-Out won’t happen for at least a few months, if not years. No matter if I find a traditional publisher, or take the self-publishing route in the end, the manuscript will still see more iterations. Nevertheless, I’m proud of the finished story I already have in my hands, and want to share a sneak peek with you all.
In this short excerpt, Alex, the Chief Relief Officer of the Human Relief Project, is taking a break from her day-to-day job of leading her organization towards 100% relief of all professions, and talks to a painter at an art exhibition she is visiting in Amsterdam.
I’m curious to hear what you think about it :)
Jose looked at her, waiting for more to come, and she observed him thoughtfully. The sadness in his eyes even though he smiled at her. The huge wrinkles around the corners of his mouth, way too many, testifying to more suffering than a normal person would typically endure at that age. While Jose must be a rare exception, his intense negative relief experience made her curious.
“Tell me, how did you overcome what you have painted here?”
“You asked me to be honest. So I’ll be.” He paused for a moment, making sure she was with him. “I haven’t fully conquered my pain. When I paint, then the questions are gone. I feel good. I do not think about the past or future, or any of the big philosophical questions. But when my monthly paint stipend runs out, usually half-way through the month, my dark thoughts come back. I have been using different support offerings for relieved people. None has helped me to put these dark thoughts to rest. I can’t stop wondering what the point of living is when what I create, AI can do too. What the point of a future for humans is, where all creation and progress is done by AI.”
“I understand. You are still processing the transition. I know from our studies that for some people it only takes days, for others it can take years. It seems you are on a good track, though, finding meaning and fulfillment in your painting.”
“You don’t understand. It’s not my daily existence that causes my suffering. It’s the anxiety of what awaits us once we hit the 100% mark. If all there is left for us to do is play, fuck, drink, and do art, if there is no struggle left, what will be the meaning of life?”
“That’s exactly the wonderful life 100% will enable. No more struggles. No more stipends running out too early. We will spend all our time doing things that give us joy and pleasure. There is much more to add to your list. Philosophy, spiritual activities, communal activities, parenting, mentoring, politics, tinkering and so much more that we can’t even envision yet. Especially the generation that will grow up with 100% in place already will show us what human potential can be unleashed when we do not have scarcity, and don’t spend our days on petty tasks.”
“Is teaching a petty task to you? Is doing particle research a petty task to you?”
Before Alex could respond, Zoe, who had sneaked up on them, interrupted the discussion.
“Alex, we need you on stage now. We will open the doors in ten minutes.”
Alex felt a mix of relief and hesitation. Relief to get out of this negative conversation. Hesitation, because she wanted to know more about Jose’s story, his journey. She truly wanted to understand him. In the Hive, people like him were just a percentage on a screen, a statistic. Here, listening to him gave the numbers life. At the same time, she knew it wasn’t good for her stress levels, for her performance. As she had learned over the years, her curiosity needed to be kept in check for her to be the best leader for the HRP she could be. Her teams were already working on making post-relief transitions, such as Jose’s, easier. Nothing she could do for him now.
“Thank you for the little tour, Jose. You gave me much inspiration for my welcoming speech. Wonderful work of art. I hope your suffering will not stay much longer.”
Jose only nodded back at her, his eyes betraying a hatred she had never before seen directed at her. Maybe not directed at her as a person, but at what she represented. Even though she knew that Security was guaranteeing her safety wherever she was, her back hairs were standing up with a sense of fear she hadn’t experienced before.
The rest of the evening was less eventful, with her welcome speech falling short of the inspirational one she’d had in mind. Alex hit all the right points about the incredible impact the HRP was having for humanity, and the abundance that was ahead for them. But tonight she didn’t feel it. Her words felt empty, and she saw in the crowd that they didn’t hit home as they usually did. Afterward, interactions with various guests distracted her from her dark thoughts. Seeing many of the other pieces of art that depicted the joyful life, and the bright future ahead, gave her some ease. But when the evening ended, and she sat in her jet on the runway back to the Hive, the one thing that stuck to her was the look in Jose’s eyes. Her responsibility was weighing heavily on her, and she felt defeated, hated even. As the jet ascended into the sky, leaving Amsterdam and Jose behind, Alex felt the rare sensation of tears rolling down her cheeks.
Let me know how you like the style, the premise, the characters, or anything else that comes to mind when reading it in the comments.
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