Describe or narrate a scenario about a beverage found a century into a future in which order is deliberately coordinated or imposed. Your description should address issues related to the brain and elicit feelings of alienation. 

By 2124, anxiety and depression have reached alarming levels within the general population, becoming a major public health issue. To address this, sedative beverages are now widely used to help people manage their daily lives. These drinks, which include brain-altering pharmaceuticals like Ativan, have largely taken the place of traditional beverages. The most popular of these is SereniTea.

The Beverage:

SereniTea is a sedative drink designed to calm and relax, the opposite of energy drinks like Red Bull. It is extremely popular due to its soothing effects, pleasant taste, and low price and has become a daily essential for nearly everyone, including both adults and children. 

Image generated using the prompt: Beverage bottle labelled Serenitea marketed to children

Government Promotion and Control: 

Sedative beverages like SereniTea are more than just a popular choice; they play a critical role in maintaining social stability. The government has discovered that it’s easier to keep order when people are under the calming influence of these drinks. As a result, SereniTea is heavily developed, promoted, and subsidized by the state. SereniTea stations are set up in public locations such as schools, workplaces, bus shelters, and parks, making it the most convenient option for many people.  People consuming SereniTea generally experience a calm, subdued contentment that aligns with the government’s goal of maintaining order and reducing social unrest.

Personal Experience and Alienation: 

As a rural farmer, you have chosen to preserve your family’s tradition by growing your own coffee beans and drinking freshly brewed coffee. This sets you apart from most people who rely on SereniTea.

Unlike others who have adapted to this controlled, calm lifestyle, you are frustrated with the government’s strict rules and the widespread use of sedative drinks. You remember a time before such control was so common, but most people seem indifferent to your concerns. Their contentment with the regulated calm only makes you feel more alone and disconnected, leaving you unsure of how to address the growing divide between yourself and those around you. 

Reference:

OpenAI. (2023). DALL-E (Version 2) [Artificial intelligence system]. https://openai.com/dall-e-2