Oblivious

A laid off worker pursues an escape at a Zen weekend retreat, and confronts obstacles while attempting to relax and rejuvenate.

      You could say Jerry Hoffman was distraught when his secure manufacturing job disappeared.  He was replaced by an industrial robot, which performed the job of ten.  Complaints about injury, fatigue, or stress also vanished with layoffs. The company’s profit rose along with output.  Jerry was livid at the damn robot, and derisively named him Battling Kelso.  Kelso made Jerry obsolete.  He imagined luring the robot to an isolated tavern by the river, getting it drunk and woozy, and then tossing it into the icy waterway.  He’d watch Kelso float away, its circuitry and chips a soggy mess. Jerry would beat the murder or manslaughter rap by hiring a sharp attorney, then plead temporary insanity to a sympathetic jury.  He knew his job was permanently gone.