Mass

(Cont'd)

"Why do you want to buy my house?" The middle-aged man asked.

"Sir, this area is very old. We are doing urban renewal and redevelopment. In short, we want to pull down this little house and build some tall buildings - so as to accommodate more people." The messenger said.

"Is it that important to accommodate more people?"

"What a question! For sure it is important."

"Is it? Do you mean that's the price for having too many people? Look around and see what buildings you guys construct. They all look similar, both from outside and inside. If an occupant presses the wrong button on the lift and enters a different apartment, he may not even notice that's not his home!"

The messenger was speechless.

"And, not only does everyone lives in a similar apartment, they have the same decorations - because they buy all furniture and ornament from the same shops, eat the same food, watch the same TV programs, listen to the same songs, and read the same morning paper. To fulfill the basic needs of a large population, we end up with mass production - and we become nothing but numbers on the Count's papers."