I woke up in the morning, alone in my bed. The girl I spent the night with must have gotten up early and left the house. I got up and sat on the edge of the bed, conjuring images of the night before from the life recorder inside my head. The expression of happiness mixed with surprise on the girl's face when we were making love was just as I remembered it. I added the image to the "facial expressions" folder and got up, washed my face, made myself a coffee, and went to the living room.
As I looked at the news in a meditative state, the jingle of Algora, the largest company in the country, echoed in my head. Even a man like me, famous for his irresponsibility, could not be indifferent to this voice. The incoming message was precisely: "At 11: 30 today, connect to the specified address using the following username and password. We have a proposition for you."
I told the virtual assistant in my head to call my sister immediately.
-Hello, sis.
-Good morning, Ilgar. Would you wake up at this hour?
-Yeah, sometimes. Algora asked me to meet.
-Listening to the sister word works, doesn't it?
-Actually, I didn't apply for the company. I think they found out I needed the money. If they offer me something decent, I'll take it.
-Of course, you will.
-Is there anything I should pay attention to?
-Don't be cocky during the interview. And keep your costume neat.
-Is that how people are evaluated at this time?
-Call me as soon as you get out of the interview.
I went to the bathroom and stood in front of the mirror. For a moment, I thought about cutting off my beard, which curled like a crescent under my chin. Such a move would have shown that I cared too much about the interview, so I stopped cutting my beard. I put on my yellow T-shirt with the Dragon relief on the front, and I went outside. A cleaning robot looped around the corner of the sidewalk in the street, spinning nonstop around itself. By pushing with my foot, I saved the robot from the loop and continued on my way. I bought a Fresha ultra-invigorating potion from a vending machine on the way. I drank the potion with shimmering particles and started walking to the virtual reality center two blocks away.
I rented a table at the virtual reality center called Freefall, and I started playing a game that took place inside the black hole in the center of the galaxy. I was surrounded by this adventure game. All the characters stretched out like spaghetti sticks, and the synchronization of the virtual reality center with the computer in my head was perfect. How could I not have thought about playing here before?
When the jingle of Algora quelled the hum of the purple space inside the black hole, I connected to Algora's system by quitting the game. The red-cheeked lady had the indulgent smile of an adult watching the children in the playground.
"Hello, Ilgar, was the game good?" the lady asked. She looked more like a stage performer than a businesswoman, with a pointed hat on her head and ying-yang symbols swirling around her cheeks.
"It was perfect. I should have come here sooner, "I replied.
"I am glad that we have been instrumental in such an invention. As we mentioned in the message, we will make you a job offer, but first, I want to ask a question: Why did you not apply for a job at Algora?"
"I guess I thought I wouldn't be accepted."
"Data compiled from the internet shows that your self-confidence is as high as three standard deviations from the average."
"I'm also curious about something. Excuse me, I'd like to ask. Why did you call me for an interview when I didn't apply?"
"You're a curious type. This is fine. You're passionately chasing your interests and curiosity. This is also good. You're stubborn, and you don't want to do things you don't like. This is not good. You were a smart student with mediocre grades. Mediocre notes are about motivation. They can be taken care of. You're passionate, but your fiery nature can lead to hurdles, irrational decisions."
"I felt like my horoscope was being read."
"The job we're going to offer you is about the Happiness Sphere project. We are trying to produce a happiness counselor that will take care of people's simple problems, but the initial results are not promising."
"You're asking me to save a dead-end project."
"Can you do that?"
"I'll try. It's a difficult task. I liked it."
"You've joined Algora's army of over 2 million employees. There are formalities that you must fulfill to make it official. I'd like you to deal with this in a few days and start working on Monday."
In the following days, I underwent numerous tests by Algora's Human Resources Management, participated in three separate interviews, and officially qualified for the job, as the Ying-Yang lady heralded.
On Monday, I was greeted by a hologram showing Gayret Temizel walking through the gates of the main campus of Algora. Gayret Temizel, the founder and first president of Algora, was a short man with a bald head. He was de facto managing the company when he passed away three years ago at 88. I was struck by his prominent forehead, glowing green eyes, and the energy of his walk. In this fascination, there was also a share of mysterious information believed to have been received from aliens visiting Earth. This matter has been a mystery for years. During his 52-year rule, he made Algora the eighth largest company globally.
Meanwhile, like other world States, the Republic of Turkey was weakened and assumed symbolic functions similar to the royal family's political position in England. Companies' dominance in the world had reached such a level that liberals would wake up and start dancing if they dreamed. By the way, the world did not turn into heaven, nor did the apocalypse break.
I walked through the trees, passing the hologram of Gayret Temizel. I had to walk quite a bit to get to the psychosocial studies department at the Algora campus. Fortunately, I was able to figure out how to ride one of the electric skateboards on edge. Otherwise, I would be late for my first shift.
I was greeted by a little girl named Ezgi in the Psychosocial Research Department. She was one of those people who could speak without ever shutting up, and her hair, which formed three separate cones on her head, swayed like the tumbler as she passed me information about Algora with great excitement.
On my third day of work, it's finally time for the Happiness Sphere. After listening to the discussions at the first meeting I attended on the subject, I felt like objecting to their methods: "Can someone tell me how happiness is measured and what factors it is affected by?"
They looked at me in amazement, as if I had asked them for a recipe for a milkshake. I looked at their faces to indicate that I didn't understand why they were so surprised.
"I don't think such a complex issue can be explained in minutes," said Halil Bey, who wore an old-model headset on his head shrunk from old age. "I am surprised that you think this is possible," he added. Then he gave the others a look like, 'who are we dealing with here?'
I said, "I think you have enough knowledge on the subject to sum it up," to provoke him.
"Young people tend to simplify matters," Ms. Özlem, who had gathered her hair to form a rainbow at the top, said with a tolerant smile. I turned around and looked at her like, 'so what?' Despite two years of trying, they still could not reveal the Happiness Sphere, and despite this, they were arrogant.
Halil Bey began to speak; I gladly noticed that he became excited as he progressed.
"Because happiness is subjective, we measure it by asking people. We also ask additional validation questions to participants who we understand are not telling the truth from response times and the pattern of brain waves. Factors affecting happiness vary by country, culture, age, gender. I can even say that you must create a model for every person in the world for a perfect representation. Of course, it is essential to remember that happiness is about expectations and realizations. And we're talking about a phenomenon that changes almost instantaneously over time. People have different expectations at different ages, but there are common themes, of course. Being loved, self-confidence, being cared for by others. At low-income levels, financial opportunities are essential, while as income increases, factors such as creative work and travel become essential. We created a model that took into account all these variables and shared the recommendations that the model produced with test users, but the resulting product was not liked."
The factors he mentioned seemed logical, and I had no doubt that they had set the model right, but they should have overlooked a more fundamental issue. "Are you sure we're asking all the questions that need to be asked about happiness?" I asked.
"We are scientists. We can't answer 'yes' to such a question," said Özlem Hanım.
A spotty young man, who I guess was a few years older than me, moved uneasily in his seat. I assumed he had some things he wanted to say, but he was ambivalent about expressing them. I looked at him and asked, "What do you think?". He was so annoyed by the looks gathered on him that he blushed to his ears as if I had asked him to go on stage and sing or open up to the girl he loved.
"Canberk, we are pleased to hear your thoughts on this," the rainbow-haired lady said to encourage him.
"I'm not sure what we're trying to do is possible. I mean, this whole thing is ridiculous. By happiness, we're actually trying to figure out the human soul. Shouldn't we be more humble?" he said.
If I remember correctly, he was a programmer and had to take a break from work because of severe depression. He kept quiet for a time, hoping someone else would come into the word, fixed his hair, and started talking again as if he had been inspired.
"I find this project really absurd. I guess they would if people could be happy with the advice. So we have to accept that people aren't stupid. Everyone knows how to search the internet. We have to consider that happiness can be a zero-sum game. There are more beautiful, smart, rich people. Some people know how to win the crowd. In zero-sum games, when someone wins, others have to lose. We live in a competitive society. Someone has to stay behind, whether they want to or not. Capitalist culture drives everyone to want more every minute. Is it possible to be happy in such an order?" said Canberk and started pulling tufts of hair that had fallen on his face.
"We're finally talking about the facts that have been swept under the carpet," I said.
"It's a productive debate, but we have to cut it here," Ms. Özlem said. "The experts I expected from the research company have come," she explained.
In the afternoon, I had the opportunity to pick up the famous Happiness Sphere prototype and examine it. After talking to the device for a while, I got bored and put it aside. The prototype, the size of a football, was a typical speech bot with academic words; I think it would be more beneficial to put it on the ground and shoot it. When I shared my views with our project leader, Özlem Hanım, she looked at me angrily. This time she had her hair in a spiral shape and, thanks to an invisible hologram reflector, looked like she was carrying the Milky Way galaxy over her head.
At the risk of being fired, I said, "if we want people to be happy, we have to destroy the monopolistic order of companies." The sparks of anger that appeared in her eyes were beautiful. I instructed the computer inside my head to add this image to the "facial expressions" folder. Miss Özlem stood up and left me with a gesture implying my words were not worth answering.
In the afternoon, I realized that Canberk didn't want to make an appearance as if he were friends with me. I guess I went too far because of the excitement of just starting out. They'd probably already put me in the crazy category and probably fire me after satisfying their curiosity about what kind of mind structure I had. If I was fired, could I apply to the court claiming that I was discriminated against because of my political views? For many years, privatized courts were run by Algora, and they were famous for the fair decisions they made. The courts had also issued hundreds of rulings against Algora, and the company had not stopped using it as public relations material. After this little thinking, I decided that they should be afraid of me.
I think the reason people couldn't be happy was that they lost their innocence. Intimacy had become a rare bird, which was especially true for the adult world. Like the actors who looked like the characters they portrayed, they were prisoners of their masks.
Despite all the negative things I've said, I've spent the entire afternoon developing ideas about the Happiness Sphere. It could have been helpful to give the Happiness Sphere a personality that people would sympathize with. He should not be like a teacher but like a genie-minded friend. He had to be able to distance himself, sometimes make fun of himself.
As I was getting ready to go to bed at home in the evening, I heard Algora's jingle. When I answered the call, I saw the image of Gayret Temizel. On a sunny beach, he was leaning back on his chaise longue, sipping a drink with a tiny umbrella on it. I knew that the image that the computer in my head projected on my retina wasn't actual. However, I felt the need to sit up.
"I have heard that you have no friendly feelings about our company," he said. Company officials didn't even leave him alone in his grave. They transferred his mind to a computer and turned it into a speech bot.
"So it's not really like that. I interpreted the company's mission a little broadly," I replied.
"No one likes authority, but someone has to run things," he said.
"Thank you for your time with me. I have a deep respect for you."
"I'm talking to over a hundred company employees at the same time. These are the advantages of virtualized consciousness. You're too young. For that reason, I'm not judging you. We may be doing wrong. But I assure you, it is normal for any responsible administration to make mistakes. Judging the pros and cons together, I think that Algora is still doing a good job."
"Have you ever dreamed of building a freer and fairer world?" I asked him.
"I was more about facts than ideals. More precisely, with dreams that I can realize. Anarchist ideas are more popular among young people than ever in history. And you're probably affected by that wind. The main thing is to serve. Hold on to your job at Algora. No power can stand in front of it when the conditions of the revolution are formed."
"You take people like me into your companies and pacify us."
"We're not pushing you for anything. You're a smart teenager. I believe you'll make the right decision," he said.
While his image was erasing, I said, "I'll think about your words." I asked the computer inside my head to project the photos in the facial expressions folder as a slideshow. The computer in my head connected to the house's central control system and the pictures appeared on the wall. I never knew what to do in life.
