One day, a group of aliens suddenly appeared on Earth, calling themselves the "Tech Terminators." They declared their intention to destroy all civilizations reliant on advanced technology, stating, "You rely too much on machines. You don’t even know how to start a fire. You don’t deserve to live in this universe!" To avoid annihilation, Earth’s leaders held an emergency meeting and concluded that the only way to survive was to return to a primitive society. Thus, a global "de-technologization" movement began.
The first day without technology was unbearably hot. Uncle Tan sat under a tree, fanning himself with a palm-leaf fan, grumbling, "This is unbearable! We used to have air conditioning, and now we don’t even have electric fans!" I suggested, "Why don’t we buy an air conditioner through the network?" Uncle Tan looked confused. "What net? A fishing net? How are you going to buy an air conditioner with a fishing net?" I realized the internet no longer existed and tried to explain, but he waved me off. "Forget it, let’s just go soak in the river. It’s cooler there!"
The second day with traffic lights out of use, chaos ensued on the roads. To solve the problem, the village chief came up with a brilliant idea: Each family would take turns sending someone to stand in the middle of the road as a human traffic light! So, people dressed in red, green, and yellow clothes could be seen standing in the middle of the road to direct traffic. One day, it was my turn. As an introvert, I stood there, frozen, my face red, unable to move. Cars piled up, honking and shouting, "Hey, traffic light! Do something!" The village chief ran over, yelling, "What are you doing? Don't stand there like a tree! Wave your arms." I stammered, "I-I’m an introvert..." He got angry. "Well, the road doesn’t care! Move it!"
Without GPS, getting lost became a common occurrence. I, who had always been at home, now had to go out every day to ask for directions. Each time I asked, I stuttered nervously, "Could you tell me... how to get to the village entrance?" The passerby looked at me with disdain, "You can’t even talk properly? Are you a spy sent by the aliens?" I wanted to cry, "I’m just socially awkward..."
Besides all these, thieves became rampant with CCTV gone. Uncle Tan's house was robbed three times in one day. "This is unbearable! Even thieves are more brazen now!" To prevent theft, villagers started raising dogs, setting traps, and invented a "human alarm system"—taking turns to shout, "Thief!" at night. Once, Uncle Tan heard a noise in the middle of the night and rushed out, yelling, "Thief!" only to find a cat stealing fish. He stomped his feet in frustration. "Even the cats are bullying me now!"
Meanwhile, the aliens observed humanity. Their leader frowned, "What are these Earthlings doing? Why aren’t they using technology anymore?" The subordinate replied, "It seems they’ve returned to a primitive society." The leader was baffled. "What? They voluntarily gave up technology? Then our mission here is pointless!" The subordinate asked, "Should we still destroy them?" The leader sighed. "Forget it. They’re already so miserable. Destroying them now would make us look bad. Let’s leave."
At first, it felt like a punishment. But as weeks turned into months, something remarkable happened. People began talking to each other. Neighbors who'd never exchanged more than a nod now shared stories over campfires. My family and I spent evenings together, telling tales and laughing instead of scrolling through phones. Even I, who dreaded social interactions, found myself drawn into conversations, realizing human connection wasn’t as terrifying as I’d thought.
As I stood there with the village chief, looking up at the stars, I realized something. The aliens hadn’t just saved us from them—they’d saved us from ourselves. And while I still missed the convenience of modern life, I couldn’t deny that this new world, flawed as it was, felt more alive. The chief turned to me and said, "Maybe the aliens knew we needed to lose everything to find what really matters." I nodded, this time with a small smile. "Yeah," I said. "But I still wouldn’t say no to a fan."
Reference:
The first day without technology was unbearably hot. Uncle Tan sat under a tree, fanning himself with a palm-leaf fan, grumbling, "This is unbearable! We used to have air conditioning, and now we don’t even have electric fans!" I suggested, "Why don’t we buy an air conditioner through the network?" Uncle Tan looked confused. "What net? A fishing net? How are you going to buy an air conditioner with a fishing net?" I realized the internet no longer existed and tried to explain, but he waved me off. "Forget it, let’s just go soak in the river. It’s cooler there!"
The second day with traffic lights out of use, chaos ensued on the roads. To solve the problem, the village chief came up with a brilliant idea: Each family would take turns sending someone to stand in the middle of the road as a human traffic light! So, people dressed in red, green, and yellow clothes could be seen standing in the middle of the road to direct traffic. One day, it was my turn. As an introvert, I stood there, frozen, my face red, unable to move. Cars piled up, honking and shouting, "Hey, traffic light! Do something!" The village chief ran over, yelling, "What are you doing? Don't stand there like a tree! Wave your arms." I stammered, "I-I’m an introvert..." He got angry. "Well, the road doesn’t care! Move it!"
Without GPS, getting lost became a common occurrence. I, who had always been at home, now had to go out every day to ask for directions. Each time I asked, I stuttered nervously, "Could you tell me... how to get to the village entrance?" The passerby looked at me with disdain, "You can’t even talk properly? Are you a spy sent by the aliens?" I wanted to cry, "I’m just socially awkward..."
Besides all these, thieves became rampant with CCTV gone. Uncle Tan's house was robbed three times in one day. "This is unbearable! Even thieves are more brazen now!" To prevent theft, villagers started raising dogs, setting traps, and invented a "human alarm system"—taking turns to shout, "Thief!" at night. Once, Uncle Tan heard a noise in the middle of the night and rushed out, yelling, "Thief!" only to find a cat stealing fish. He stomped his feet in frustration. "Even the cats are bullying me now!"
Meanwhile, the aliens observed humanity. Their leader frowned, "What are these Earthlings doing? Why aren’t they using technology anymore?" The subordinate replied, "It seems they’ve returned to a primitive society." The leader was baffled. "What? They voluntarily gave up technology? Then our mission here is pointless!" The subordinate asked, "Should we still destroy them?" The leader sighed. "Forget it. They’re already so miserable. Destroying them now would make us look bad. Let’s leave."
At first, it felt like a punishment. But as weeks turned into months, something remarkable happened. People began talking to each other. Neighbors who'd never exchanged more than a nod now shared stories over campfires. My family and I spent evenings together, telling tales and laughing instead of scrolling through phones. Even I, who dreaded social interactions, found myself drawn into conversations, realizing human connection wasn’t as terrifying as I’d thought.
As I stood there with the village chief, looking up at the stars, I realized something. The aliens hadn’t just saved us from them—they’d saved us from ourselves. And while I still missed the convenience of modern life, I couldn’t deny that this new world, flawed as it was, felt more alive. The chief turned to me and said, "Maybe the aliens knew we needed to lose everything to find what really matters." I nodded, this time with a small smile. "Yeah," I said. "But I still wouldn’t say no to a fan."
Reference:
Xiao Luge. (nd). Pinterest.
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/47428602323572904/
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/47428602323572904/
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