The Red Dot haunts every frame of every application, website or any computer shit/blah-blah electrocommunication with which you shall interact. This “Red Dot” is the name given to that minuscule electronic task that gnaws at the soul of the day. The message, flag, marker, jellybean, etc. It is something undone, something that remains outstanding. It is a torture device implemented by the Powers That Be in order to create a sense of anxiety and forward motion in modern society.

I hear myself speak on this topic and am already laughing to recall outspoken proprietors that had a similar view and came before me. They used words such as “arcane,” and “byzantine,” to describe modern computer systems, just as those before them likely did. It creates excessive huff and puff, but, really, we are kooky, friendly, and the most loving people you shall meet. We just don’t like unnecessary clicking. 

But! Back to the task at hand! The Red Dot that is the pinnacle of human conditioning! It forces a person to move forward with whatever it is that the marker represents. Yes. Done. Mark in the sand. What’s next? This phenomenon is A.K.A, “Light a fire under your ass.”

Why Red Dot? Mother Computer is hovering over the mountain of this Toilet of a Time Period, alternatively relaxing and squeezing her pelvic floor muscles to express the unnecessary fluids that no longer belong. She thinks that this ordeal is private, but we are all watching, of course. She stands, immense at the top of the mountain, palms together above her, red flowing through the constraints of the body of geology, and shaking the frame from the pain.

“To Do”. Yes, we all know. To DO. Not to sit for hours liking Facebook posts and clicking your fake nail on your screen while gossiping about the nature of the Lakers in order to get a hit. 

Are we at a GWAR concert, at work, an art exhibit, political debate or are we now discussing the end of the world as we can plan? One shall never know, You Sicko. I wink at you through the computer. Let’s discuss in person sometime. 

That Red Dot of doing things applies to every job, everywhere. There will be some flag or other means of communication to tell you “To do.” This thing is done, that thing is done. Pass along. Get on the conveyor. Just go. 

Be aware, though, that they represent very important things in some instances. If time is not taken to realize the impact of actions, or to diffuse a bubbling problem, then you should prepare for explosion. But, the check box persists and is now sending its opinion through your computer… 

It is in the periphery, you know it has to be done, but it won’t come forward or sink away. Deal with it. Then move on. Such is life.  

The rat in a cage may push the button for drugs instead of nestling into an area to find comfort. I am pretty sure that I just threw a bunch of historical, psychological, observational and controlled-trials together to make a sort of greatest hits mashup. Hey, this stuff can happen. We should know how people react to it, right?! [To better control them, most likely.]

The point is, is there any difference between addictions and your tasks? Think of how hard it is to say “No” to the Red Dot. It is human nature. We want to complete tasks. 

Not saying it isn’t our fault. But not saying it is, either.