John was happy with one monitor. Once better screens became available, he upgraded to a modern display without a second thought. Within five years, John even tried experimenting with a dual-screen set-up, and he loved it. He had never been as productive, and it was a fabulous feeling. But, after a decade-long struggle with rekindling the relationship with his wife, she finally decided to leave him in the following year, and it all went downhill from there. John quickly spiraled into a deep depression and tried filling the void that was left by the divorce by purchasing even more computer monitors. He purchased one more monitor, but it didn’t work. He was still struggling with the perennial depression and anxiety caused by the departure of his wife. The stress plagued his mind as he bought more monitors. He didn’t even use the monitors productively as he always had the same thing displayed on every screen.

John thought that if he can’t cleanse his mind of the constant sorrow and fill the void left by his wife, he might as well isolate himself from everyone else in his life in a desperate, hopeless attempt to prevent more loss and agony in his life. In five years’ time after the divorce, he had completely surrounded himself with ten computer monitors. No one was even able to see him through all the monitors, and any time someone attempted to start a conversation with him or otherwise tried to talk to him, he would completely ignore them, safe behind the screens.

John even went as far as to hang up a “Keep Out” sign on his desk to further communicate his utter lack of concern for the outside world, and in the matter of days, he had hung up strips of barbed wire around his desk to prevent those around him from getting close. As he lost contact with the world around him, he was completely absorbed with the digital world, never leaving the cage of monitors he had built around himself. Over time, the people around him gave up trying to reach through to him, and he was left alone. There was no longer a soul to be seen, except for John, surrounded by ten computer monitors, all displaying the same image.