Q: Are We Not Men? A: We are CYBORGS!

Let me tell you something about myself you probably don't know.

I am a cyborg.

For those of you not in the know, the word cyborg is a contraction of the words "cybernetic" and "organism."  Put plainly, it means a living being that has artificial parts.  "Part man; part machine."

If you're a science fiction buff - or if you were just some kid in the 70s and 80s - you're no doubt familiar with some popular characters who were cyborgs.  The Six Million Dollar Man for instance, was about Steve Austin.  Austin was a secret agent with artificial legs, an arm, and an eye which enhanced his strength and vision.

Another example is Darth Vader.  He was described by his former Jedi master, Obi-Wan Kenobi, as "More machine than man."  Vader's limbs were cybernetically enhanced.  It increased his strength and stamina, but he also needed a respirator and armor to prevent his damaged lungs and his burned flesh from being exposed to the elements.  Without those components, Vader would die in seconds.   Vader was powerful yet feeble at the same time.

Then there are the Terminators.  A terminator was the inverse of Steve Austin and Darth Vader.  Rather than being living beings from the start, they are androids encased in synthetic flesh.  This was for the purpose of allowing them to blend into human populations undetected.  Though it would be hell for them to pass through a metal detector at an airport.

There are other popular examples:   The Cybermen from Doctor Who and the Borg from Star Trek: The Next Generation.  These are all mythical portrayals of the cyborg in popular culture.

The first portrayal of who could be considered a cyborg was the mad scientist Rotwang from Fritz Lang's Metropolis.  He declared that he sacrificed a hand in the pursuit of science.  He replaced his natural hand with a functioning mechanical one.

In real life, you have paraplegic athletes with artificial limbs like Oscar Pistorius.  In the early eighties history was made when Barney Clark received the first artificial heart transplant.  I'm sure these people would object to being compared to creatures of science fiction, but the fact remains they are the fusion of flesh and technology.

Which brings this back to me.

Bad maintenance of my teeth have resulted in a series of crowns.  One tooth was replaced by an implant using a titanium screw to fit the tooth in place.  So I already have a metal component that's part of my body.  True, it's not as awe-inspiring as a pair of cybernetic limbs that could help me leap over a wall twenty feet high, or an enhanced arm that could punch through it.  Nevertheless, I have a part of my body that is not organic.

It doesn't end there.

I have a seizure disorder.  I am dependent on a cocktail of pills that prevent me from having any future seizures.  The last time I had a seizure was the result of a doctor not filling out a scrip for the medicine correctly.

Modern medicine doesn't grow on trees.  They are synthesized compounds compressed into tablets or gelcaps with the purpose of maintaining someone's health.  Whether it's seizures, heart conditions, or just high cholesterol, today's patient needs these technologically fashioned pellets to remain healthy and to be productive members of society.

Oh, wait.  There's more!

How are these pills transported to your local pharmacy?  They are shipped by a van or boxcar which in turn travels the vascular system of paved streets, entrance ramps, highways, and exit ramps.  Yes, the interstate highway system allows the blood flow of vehicles of every shape to get from town to town, city to city, and state to state.

Many of the medicines I depend on come from overseas.  So now we add international shipping to the matrix.  I am dependent on steady input and output of machinery to safely and reliably convey my pills to my local pharmacy like clockwork.  All to prevent me from the misfortune of collapsing in the middle of a busy street convulsing and disoriented.

What would happen if any major artery malfunctioned?

It would affect the health of millions of people if the freighters carrying the medicine by sea or by plane could not make port.  If land shipping suffered some unforeseen catastrophe, *cough* COVID *cough*, the chances of the safe transport of my pills becomes even more precarious.

I shared my anxieties with my doctor during the peak of the COVID crisis.  I was hearing about the shipping lanes being hamstrung by the spread of the virus.  Would I run out of the medicine that prevents me from, well, the hazard I described above?  She assured me that we had a year's worth of medicines of all kinds in reserve for about a year.

I pressed on.  "And what if the pandemic gets worse?  What if everything breaks down for more than a year?  What happens to me then?"

It was the first time my therapist saw me on the verge of panic.

So what I'm saying is, my wellbeing is dependent on a network of artificial medicines and conveyances that have to work like clockwork to get my health needs transported from point A to point B.  Add to the mix that I communicate with my psychiatrist via a Zoom-like app.  We can't see each other face to face due to the pandemic.  I have to share with him the medications I take down to a "T."  He already has a lot of this on record, but what if I have to change the dosage on one of my meds?  What if I have to add yet another medicine to my daily cocktail?  Both of us have to make sure every "i" is dotted and every "t" is crossed.  He sends the information by a network connecting his office to my pharmacy.  It's a lot more efficient than the old fashioned means of getting off of your ass with a paper scrip and schlepping to the pharmacist.  I don't think this network will break down, but I am dependent on it.

So, as I said, my health depends on a well tended nationwide and possibly international machine.  A vast one.  If this elaborate machine breaks down totally, my health, or even my life, is in danger.

And what about you?  What medicines do you depend on?  If not that, how many intranets and how much of the internet do you depend on to keep your business in tip top shape?  It may not affect you immediately, but if the system was impaired in any way, maybe you won't get your timecard scanned and you don't get your paycheck.

We evolved from the telegraph, telephone, faxes, to the information superhighway and social media.  More and more, technology integrates itself into our society - even our bodies.  I'm communicating to you at light speed the moment I click "share" on my blog to attach it to whatever social medium attracts the attention of my friends or just the curious.

One last question:  What part of us remains human?

It's the things we used to take for granted.  The chance to express our love physically and even sexually with our spouse or S.O.  It's getting together for a holiday dinner with family that you actually stand being around.  It's the contact highs we receive from concerts, movies, restaurants, diners, clubbing, or bar hopping.  All these intimate emotional and tactile experiences are expressions of our flesh and our mind.  The connections that keep us human.

But as I said, due to the needs of the modern world, we become part machine by necessity.  Our lives depend on it.

So maybe it's not as spectacular as having bionic limbs or machine enhanced stamina like in the movies or TV, but make no mistake...

We are cyborgs.

- JJB