When little meets Grande: Imprisonment, big data, STEM education, habitat harmony, and Indigenous erasure in the eco-order

Abstract

To cradle and crack an eggLittle's latent creativity shone brightly in the night's earthen darkness. Unconscious self-expression was all that remained after 2 months in the reconceptualization center. For the first time in Little's life, the sun was now an unwelcome friend.Little snapped up, relieved that a soldier did not see another missed recitation. "Knowledge is power. Power shapes spaces. Spaces are shared." repeated his neighbors in the adjacent cells. Feigning calm, he centered himself on his meditation cushion on his cell floor.Everyday felt the same to Little: a loop of recitation, metaphorical group activities, team building, journaling, meals, and meditation. Meditation. Meditation. "Why do you think we are doing this?" "What do you think this represents?" "How do you think this will be relevant when you leave?" "How can we open ourselves to collective eco-work?" Through it all the smell of the same rotten egg: the desire to control with minimal resistance.At this point, Little had been resistive, but he had yet to decide if he would rot, crack, or hatch. Little watched the egg the Wiser held, imagining himself in the Wiser's left hand. Rotting was a scary thought, but morbidly satisfying to Little-at least the Wiser would have to suffer too.Little noticed a net in the Wiser's right-hand. Nodding his head affirmatively, he defiantly thought "What is today's metaphor? Was the net society? Was it meant to cradle and carry us or catch and crush us?" To Little, guessing was the best part of the activity."Little, would you hold this end of the string, please?" said the Wiser. "We are all connected, but we need just enough tension in the net to keep our egg safe. The string started to shake in Little's hand as he thought about the last words of his fellow prisoner, "I'd like to go to India someday, isn't that where this whole meditation thing came from?"