I just watched Season 1 of Severance. The show aired on Apple TV+ in February 2022. The premise is simple, but I won’t spoil anything significant in case people still want to watch it.
Severance centers around a program created by a medical manufacturer. This program implants a chip into a person’s brain that separates their work memories from their personal life memories. When someone goes to work, they can’t recall anything about their personal life. Conversely, when they’re at home or out of work, they have no memory of their job. An elevator enables the switch between these memory modes. When the person goes down, they enter work mode. When they go up, they switch to personal life mode.
It’s a fascinating concept, and I’m very excited for Season 2, which premieres on January 17, 2025.
Here’s my question: If you had the opportunity to participate in this program, would you take it? I know the idea sounds extreme. Why would anyone want to forget their work life? That said, it might hold value for certain professions. For example, if you work in a field involving morally ambiguous or highly stressful tasks—such as handling nuclear weapons, participating in warfare, or working in funeral services—this program could allow you to separate work stress from your personal life and vice versa.
Would you do it?
Initially, I’d say no. But the more I think about it, the harder it is to dismiss. Watching the show reveals the potential downsides of being part of such a program. One significant con is that your “outside” self—the version of you that applies for the program—controls your “inside” self. This means if you end up hating the job or if management exploits you, your outside self would be oblivious to it. Worse, your inside self could endure unspeakable treatment during work hours without your outside self ever knowing.
For example, if you were injured at work, you’d feel the effects in your personal life, but the company might fabricate a story to explain it to your outside self. This raises moral dilemmas. Would you risk subjecting half of yourself to potential harm or suffering without any recourse?
I wouldn’t want to be a guinea pig. This program would need to be tested and operational for at least five years before I’d consider joining. Additionally, strict regulations would have to be enforced to ensure ethical practices—though I doubt such guarantees could ever be truly upheld. Companies seeking test subjects often exaggerate benefits and downplay risks. It’s the same with politics, media, and history—we only know what we’re told.
Despite these concerns, we still vote for politicians, believe the news, and trust the narratives taught in schools. Somehow, we survive. In a way, we already navigate systems that control the narrative, much like the Severance program.
So, yes, I’d consider it—but only after a 5+ year waiting period.
If you watch the show, you’ll notice that even the workers don’t fully understand their tasks. They know how to complete their assignments but have no idea about their purpose. The mystery deepens as they work with outdated technology and receive cryptic instructions.
Here’s a scenario to ponder: Suppose your job involves deciding the fates of people in another country based on surveillance footage. You’re tasked with reviewing video clips—someone grocery shopping, riding a bike, or acting suspiciously near police officers with a phone in hand. You must sort their files into one of three categories:
- Do nothing: The person is harmless.
- Detain/arrest: Further investigation is needed.
- Kill: The person is involved in heinous crimes.
Now, imagine you have quotas to meet for each category. Regardless of the footage, you must designate a certain number of people to each outcome. While this job might sound horrifying, your outside self wouldn’t know about it. Trauma wouldn’t carry over. Oh, and the starting salary is $300,000 annually.
Would you take this job? The company won’t reveal specifics about the work but will promise you a generous salary, benefits, and the assurance that your work “makes a difference.” With an offer like that, how many people would say no?
If this program were real and successful for five years, I think many people would leave their current jobs to join. That’s wild!
Thank you for taking the time to read this.
God bless you all!