A weird dream

A weird dream

I was tired this afternoon that I skipped the badminton game. Been reading a lot about politics and the dark side of human behavior. Thence, I fell asleep for a short nap, which turned out to be an experience of a bizarre dream. My remembering the dream may not be complete, just treat it as a fictional narrative then.

I rushed along a tunnel, which I can't remember seeing anything except darkness. It is a wide passage, stretching endlessly. Dark, dirty and full of unknown. Then I stumbled upon several people, and my first question to them is, where am I?

Here? It's hell. I was rather puzzled, and seek for further clarification. Hell? If here's hell, we should be dead right? Yes, you are right, we are not dead in hell, because here's the living hell and we are the living dead. The answer I got made me more troubled.

I keep on moving forward. And as I talked to the people around, the more I realized what is it here. The world, as I know, is above us. I am right inside the underground world of the damned. If the above surface is furnished with luxurious lifestyles full of joys and laughter, I am right at the pit of despair. Everyone here does not show any emotion but emptiness. People are working, not really what movies imagined prisoners being tortured and forced to be heavy labor, but rather what people always talking about, the working class prisoners who have to work just to quench their thirst on the worldly things, that is, to have enough money to spend on shopping items and stuffs, and not having extra for savings.

One worker mentioned to me, in this underground world, the system is simple, the government we trusted and the corporate businesses collaborate and scheme a policy to imprison the workers without them realizing (or rather, unable to protest or break free). They will pass and enforce rules which requires workers to stay working, like levying working taxes and shopping taxes, besides raising consumer good prices to an extent which will lock down any workers' income to a stagnant, forcing a fixed percentage of their wages to be spent on the daily needs (petrol and food, for example). At the same time, the government increases the minimum working hour and lower the minimum wage floor so that businesses can exploit the workers time and income, forever handicapping them in the low income group. There were protest before, but the lockdown is so severe and the mass media is controlled, hence most people are either kept off from the truth or being threatened with force to prevent unrest. Reformists are labelled as traitors to the nation and will be struck down without trial.

I knocked my head hard, trying to remember the similarities of the place I had experience before, but couldn't remind myself of it. Then, an older worker came to me with a brief sigh, maybe thinking that I dug myself this hole here. But what he said next refuted my perception. Said he, in here, everyone is born poor. Most of us are unable to break free from this chain of fate. It takes a huge amount of effort, wisdom, patience and luck to soar up with the rich and powerful. Nobody there ever notice us, let alone pity us. It is our own world here, and everyone hates every moment here and blame it to curse or something. In fact, there is no curse, it is the work of the rich and powerful to make us continue to work and they enjoy the fruits of our sweat and blood. Their ego, greed and sinister plans are more evil than the devils, but they aren't living without worry too. Some time, we will welcome a few of them from up there, who are thrown down here because of their mistakes. Don't forget, the devils up there are greedy, they want more and will not mind others' downfall as long as they can continue to satisfy their lust for gold.

A priest of an unknown religion interrupted our conversation, said he, the devils will pay for what they've done. Their lust and sin will not be forgiven. The old men smirked at his remark, and said, you're no different than them. Religious or otherwise, human nature is evil. Everyone lusts for two things, money and power. What are you up to, ole priest? Power to influence, I say. You are gathering your minions to do dirty work for you in the name of our holy father. They worship not the Father but you. I can see that clearly, because I don't buy your deceits. You are no different than the people above. The priest was furious, and cursed the old man before walked away. Said the old man again, everyone is trying to exert their influence on the others. Some may be noble before, but sooner than later, when everyone smell gold, the evil genes reside within them will overpower their sanity, and what's worst? It's camouflaged under the skin of good intention.

And then I closed my eyes, took a deep breathe, and find myself waking up on this bed. I was wondering, am I really awake, or am I still inside the underground, albeit a more figurative one?