Pampered and Petted!

    I suppose this piece of blog was inspired by an episode of the 1960's television series Callan, starring Edward Woodward in the title role. In this particular epiosde, which I was wacthing the othe rnight, Callan had been sent on a mission by his superior Hunter, to find a man by the name of Striker. However Callan is captured by a Russian spy cell in London, and held against his will.
    Callan is drugged several times in a day, in an hour at one point, as he goes through tough conditioning day in, day out for over a week, and suffers several physical beatings along the way. And so Callan talks, he tells the Russians everything about the mision he was on, about Striker, about Hunter, because he thinks he talking to Hunter, having first been arrested by his own people for the crime of espionage. But it is the Russian agents all the time, who are conditioning Callan to kill his immediate superior, to kill Hunter...........which Callan succeeds in doing, but not without being shot himself by a colleague Meres.
     Callan was a hard hitting television series at its time, and Callan was often put through the mill, but this particular time it was really bad. And this got me thinking about the Prisoner Number 6. Oh I know the Prioner was abducted from all he knew, to an alien envionment that could be anywhere in the world. Yes, Number 6 was drugged from time to time, conditioned by the use of drugs and electrical therapy, and tricked by damsels in distress. Suffered several physical beatings. Had his identity of Number 6 taken away from him. Suffered the anguish of defeat whenever he tried to escape. He fought everyday against corecion. Held fast, maintained the right of the individual to be individual. Was used as a pawn in Number 2's game. Had his mind transferred into another man's body. Put in dangerous environments. Was experimented upon, and threatened with the 'Instant Social Conversion,' a Lukeotomy to isolate the aggressive frontal lobes. Regressed to his childhood. Forced to kill on two separate occasions, and sentenced to death on another.
    The Prisoner, the new Number 6 {I often wondered what had happened to his predecessor} never once talked, in fact in all of the fifteen months of Number 6's captivity in the Village, all Number 6 had told them was the time of his birth 4:31am 19th of March 1928. That's quite remarkable when you think about it. Number 6 was described by the President as being a 'man of steel.' But more than that, when the doctor-No.22 put Number 6 through a series of medical tests, he was found to have a negative reaction to pain, which of course is impossible. It would take super-human will-power not to react to pain!
    But when all is said and done, no real harm befell the Prisoner Number 6. At the end he was as fresh as the day of his arrival in the Village. What's more he had lived a very decent life in the Village. He was never forced to take up employment. Never asked to contribute anything the the community in which he lived. He was given a weekly credit allowence. He was free to do as he wished, within reason. Niumber 6 was looked after, given medial examinations from time to time, for the good of this health, and Number 2 always had Number 6's welfare at heart, because they didn't want him broken, reduced to a man of fragments. Nor to have him lobotomised, because Number 6 is far too important, and is seen to have a future with them!
   Number 6 is is treated rather well, all things considered, unlike Roland Walter Dutton, we know what happened to him don't we. Number 6 is well fed, clothed, doesn't suffer from sleep deprevation as he's never seen a night, he always sleeps. He has books, music, television. Can go to the cinema, watch a play presented by the local amateur dramatic society at the Recreation Hall. there's the gymnasium to exersise, shoot or fence, and even box in, not forgettimng his semi-weekly Kosho practise. He's free to play chess, paint, sketch, even create a sculpture. He can take long walks, just as long as he's not too far away. And Number 6 lives in a very comfortable cottage/cell, part of which is an exact replica of the study in his London home, right down to it's furnishing, fittings, and personal possessions belonging to Number 6.
    If Number 6 had not been quite so pampered and petted, then the administration behind the Village, might just have found out the reason why Number 6 resigned sooner than they did!  Be seeing you.