Obsolescence

“The story”
(The story of the old Gentleman is based upon a true event)

An elderly gentleman is in the doctors surgery to book an appointment. the receptionist tells him that he can no longer make an appointment face to face with the receptionist. He must go online and fill out a form requesting a doctors appointment. The elderly gentleman explains, he has no modern gadgets that allow communication online. He does not own a smart phone. He has no tablet or any other mobile device. He does not even own a personal computer so has not internet access. The receptionist displays disinterest. She sends him away stating: These are the rules. I cannot help you. You must go and find someone with internet access to complete the form for you. The old gentleman turns away confused as to why he can’t just make an appointment here. He vulnerable and unwell. He needs medical assistance. He has lived a long life and has a deep understanding of conflict. He has faced conflict in both his personal and military life. Now he cannot understand the conflict of just trying to get medical aid. Most of all he just feels obsolete.



“The elderly gentleman”

The old gentleman is in his 80's(between 80-85). He is 5 feet 10 inches tall. He looks slightly shorter because he now has a slight stoop. His bearing is that of a military man. His features are those of a careworn man. the wrinkles on his face reflect this. He does have frown lines but he also has laughter lines. He has lived through both good and bad times. He has iron grey hair and wears a flat cap to hide the receding hair line. His hair is neatly trimmed. He also wears a short, neatly trimmed beard. He walks with the aid of an intricately carved wooden walking stick. He has seen military action in his lifetime so he may have received an injury during active military duty that necessitated the need for the walking stick. He only has a small pension meaning that he has to be extremely frugal with money. His clothes are worn but meticulously clean and pressed. His shoes are also showing signs of wear but are highly polished. He has seen conflict in his lifetime but is left confused by the conflict of having to fit into a progressively technological world. As he turns away from the window you can see the confusion on his face.



“The receptionist”

The receptionist is a female humanoid robot. She is representative of the ever expanding AI based world in which we live. The differences between the receptionist and a human are very subtle and won't be noticed at first glance. She is 5 feet 7 inches tall. Her age appears to be between 18 and 21 years old. She is of average build. Her bearing is arrogant. She could have bent the rules to help the old gentleman but choses not to. She likes the feeling of power and control her position gives her. No-one gets to see a doctor unless she allows it. She is the gatekeeper. As the old gentleman turns away from the window she slides the glass panel closed, reinforcing to the old gentleman that the conversation is finished. She has a smug look on her face as she does this.

Thank you for looking and for your kind comments.
All feedback (positive and negative) will be greatly appreciated on this image and it's deeper meaning.