Smoke-Filled Lungs - A Testimonial | A Mixed Media Art Project

The stillness in the air surrounding Joseph's bed matches the stark, white wall staring back at him. Douglas moves in closer. I've been called to his bedside because I'm the only one who understood his pain and suffering, Douglas admits to another unseen in the room.

Douglas starts, then stops, lowering his head, face flushed as if with shame and disgust like lumps of coal heaped upon him. Joseph grunts in pain.

Douglas raises his head and catches Joseph's eyes open for a moment. His eyes command Douglas to draw near. Joseph wants Douglas to know that he sees, he hears, and that Douglas honored his request.

He can't speak, so his eyes demand that Douglas witness the last breath of a desperate man begging to understand why, if Douglas was such a good friend, did he sentence him to this fate.

Douglas leans closer away from the venomous stares of Joseph's family. "I have no right to be here. But I must," he further admits to Joseph.

Wiping the sweat from his brow, Douglas scours the room as if in disgrace. In the far corner, Joseph's family struggles to hold back their contempt. They weep and comfort each other as best they can while trying to ignore Douglas.

Instantly, a female family member breaks the circle and moves toward Douglas. "You're not welcome here. Leave before I have you removed from my father's room."

Douglas glances down at Joseph. He could tell that Joseph was agitated as if trying to communicate something.

At that moment, Douglas knew what must be done.

He stands razor straight next to Joseph's bed. With a somber expression on his face, he reaches for his hand and claps it in his, glances from one family member to the other and begins.

The Testimony

I prefer to remain silent, Joseph. No words can undo what I've done.

But in this final hour I must. Your family deserves an explanation as to why I committed this ghastly deed against you, my friend.

I can't help but pour out my thoughts to you now that you can no longer go on. You've come to the end of your journey. Too soon. And I profess that I helped you reach it quicker.

The courage to gird up and speak out rises slowly. Illumination didn't come easily or willingly. At the edge of the bed I watched as your labored breath rattled your thin, frail body.

I stand before you now with tears in my eyes and a heavy heart.

I loved you. I loved you like you were my father; my brother; my son; my best friend; my mentor; my co-worker; my neighbor; and a fellow human being.

I didn't want to lose you. For I was kind and gentle. I soothed the inner turmoil you wrestled with that others couldn't or refused to understand. In retrospect, I helped you through difficult times in your life. If for only the time it took for the flame to extinguish.

Then moved on because others were calling. You were merely a number in my accounting of souls for profit. And that profit was hefty, especially when, as reported in 2020, 22.3% of the world’s population absorbed me. My profits totaled in the billions.

And it didn't matter to me that I secured that profit off the back of 1.3 billion users who truly couldn't afford to have me as a friend since those individuals lived in low and middle-income countries.

Now I must be honest with you. Other well-meaning individuals, including the World Health Organization (WHO) explained to me that I was hurting and not helping society. They stated that I became one of the biggest public health threats the world had faced at that time, killing more than 8 million people each year around the world. Not only them, but also an estimated 1.3 million family members and others who are exposed to me. ¹

I was stubborn. I had what I'd programmed them to desire. They had what I wanted. Bottom line.

So, I looked the other way.

Can you blame me? I didn't invent capitalism. I just profited from it. I felt bad, but others depended upon me to lift them up in resources to uphold those lavish lifestyles. They knew better to use me on the front end, and discard me on the back. For they had information you didn't.

The ones who developed, produced, promoted, and made me accessible to all knew I was a liability; not an asset. And that liability was costly. In fact, they also understood that all forms of my existence are harmful. There's no safe level of exposure to me, no matter which method is your preferred intake.

They understood early on that I had been proven scientifically to be addictive, to cause disease and death, and to give rise to a variety of social ills.

I'm ashamed because I contributed to worldwide poverty. I diverted a household's resources from basic needs, such as food, clothing, and shelter. And those who desire me can't help themselves. I made sure of that because their behavior is difficult if not impossible to curb or cease.

And I'm a major factor in the reason why your family can't afford reasonable health care. You are proof of the cost it took to care for you during your illness.

Now, in my defense, I did, after being forced to do so, warn you countless times over the years in numerous, subtle ways I couldn't divulge publicly. Early on when you were a babe just getting started in the game we can life, I was exciting and refreshing. Everyone wanted me. It made them look cool in the eyes of others to have me hanging on them.

But I'll not lie to you now. A million others are waiting to hear from me.

I had a hidden agenda. For me to survive and thrive, I needed your dependence. I needed you to need me. So bad that you'd go to any lengths to have me. Even when I became too expensive, you still found ways to bring me into and keep me close in your life.

I was only a throw's reach away.

I clouded your judgement so that you craved me. You could have leaned on other options, but by the time you even realized I owned you, you could never break away.

Oh, I saw you attempt to distance yourself. You even tried to leave me. Toss me into oblivion. But I was too easy to return.

Don't you realize that I didn't want you? I only wanted what you possess.

Your hard-earned money.

You may ask, "why did you do this to me knowing the outcome?"

I must admit that I thought about it long and hard, but in the end it was the age old game. Survival of the fittest is what I say to justify my actions.

It's been tough, I won't lie losing you and all those other souls who depended upon me. But unlike you, I'll survive. I'll just reinvent myself and move forward.

For that, I gave you in return the most deadliest of diseases you wouldn't be able to live with.

Smoke-Filled Lungs.

Joseph. Perhaps I'll meet you again one day. If not, then you'll know my destiny. I'm weary, but I must continue. I've no other choice.

With that, I'll take my leave old friend.

To you family. I wish you well. I truly don't want to be your friend. After hearing my testimony, I hope you don't want to be mine either. That is, unless you want to lie in a bed similar to Joseph. If so, I'll visit you sometime in the future.

^Source

Sitting in the farthest corner by myself watching all that transpired, I sighed. I'm not here to judge. That's not my job. I'm here at the bequest of the family for Joseph in his final hours.

Perhaps upon seeing me, Douglas was touched to bring forth his testimony. We each have a cross to bear. Some heavier than others. We each have a different viewpoint on life. We justify our actions to fit that point of view.

My hope is that others in attendance today will take heed of Douglas' words, look upon Joseph, then decide a different path for themselves and their families.

My job is to pray.

For my current mixed media art project, I wanted to share my pure fractal I created in the advanced fractal rendering program, Apophysis 7X. I rendered it on a transparent background. I immediately fell in love with the various section that at first appeared independent, but then were fused together by the black colors in each section. The shape resembled a human organ. Various sections of tissue lie next to each other and held together by veins.

In creating my fractal design, I layered the fractal in my design program, Canva, careful to blend it so that the tips were hanging free while the upper portion were fused that looked as if it was laid bare so that the inside could be observed.

Having such a beautiful, dark, and dramatic design to begin with didn't require, in my opinion, any other items blended into it.

I share with you my completed project:

Thanks for taking the time to view my post. I hope you like my mixed media art project.