Biotic Medicine
Paul left the hospital that day with a new view on life in a quite literal sense. Ever sense he was born Paul had never had the ability of sight that most other humans and indeed most other creatures on this planet are born with. This fact had always left Paul with a feeling that he was incomplete in some way like he did not measure up to the rest of humanity and indeed this would be true if he did not live in the day and age that he did. The year was 2088 and even people with disabilities lived very full and complete lives with technology the way it is people were able to be assisted by various devices that were thought to be impossible in ages past. However Paul was never satisfied with the assistant devices no matter how helpful or advanced they were.
No Paul knew that he could never be happy unless he had the same abilities as the people around him. The sense of sight that most people naturally possessed. So Paul waited, he waited until the day when technology was able to catch up with natural human abilities. Then now a week after his 25th birthday when his friend helped pay for a new expensive treatment. After spending another week in the hospital getting use to his new sense of sight Paul had never been happier in all of his life. The sunlight momentarily blinded him as he walked out the door however it only took his mechanical eye a moment to get used to the change in lighting, much less then it would have taken a normal persons eye. Not only could it get used to light changes much quicker than a natural eye but it could also see farther, clearer and it would never degrade in quality as Paul aged like a natural eye would. However it could be damaged very easily some would argue it was more fragile than a regular eye but the kind doctors at the hospital could repair it if that were ever to occur. Eyes were not the only thing to be able to be replicated however thanks to other advancements in the field of bionics people were able to become the same as and in many ways better than their natural counterparts. People born without the ability to walk and who in ages past would have been confined to a wheelchair could now walk faster and more smoothly than a normal person. People without the ability to hear would be able to hear a pin drop from across a room the problem of sensitivity to sounds was solved by the ability to alter the amount of noise being processed. People with difficulty breathing that would have had to be on ventilators and oxygen their entire lives, however short they were, were being saved from that fate.
Yes Paul was only one of many whose lives were improved by the recent advancements in bionics. However it was not all good many people viewed the advancements as a bad thing blaming the scientist and the doctors who helped deliver these inventions to the people of tampering with the plan of the almighty many religions would not allow its followers to upgrade since they felt that such a thing would tamper with the work of the god they worshiped. Others argued that the advancements gave an unfair edge to the people who were without the upgrades. Some of the more wealthy people despite not needing any improvements in their lives decided to get an upgrade anyway feeling that it would make them superior to others. Some of the most radical of this group had even made threats and even followed through on their promised acts of violence causing a certain group of enhanced humans to fear for their lives in fear of this group of radicals and zealots. Paul however had not such fear he was perfectly secure that his new eye would be able to spot any threats before they were to befall him and with this new found confidence in himself he went to live the remainder of his life with the ability to see just like all of the people that he envied his entire life.

On the other side of the city there was another man very similar to Paul. With one very large exception Nick refused biotic implants despite the fact that he was born without sight in the very same way that Paul was. Nick refused the implants not out of fear or loathing of the new upgrades to humanity, he did so because he was simply too prideful of the way he was made. He felt that the way he was now was how he should always be. Not out of religious fervor or lack of money for the operation or anything of the sort instead he was simply too prideful of how he was now. This decision condemned him to live a life reliant on aids to assist his daily living as he was not too proud to use them. Including a droid to assist him in avoiding obstacles in the outside world or even in his own home despite the fact that he mostly knew where everything was.
Nick’s life made him miserable and every time someone asked him why he refused get the upgrades Nick found it nearly impossible to convince anyone else of his seeming insane logic but he continued to hold on to his ideals despite the fact that almost all of society disagreed with him. There were times that the misunderstanding of society enraged him to such a degree that his mind would wonder to darker places trying to convince him to commit the great acts of violence that he would hear of on the news. There were several organizations that agreed with him over the issue of the upgrades he would often consider joining these organizations before the reality of his situation would crash his dreams around him. He could never join an organization like theirs with his lack of eyesight he could never hope to be of any use to any radical organization who would stand up for him.
These two men lived in the same city, in the same time, with the same restrictions and conditions. What did separate these two however was their willingness to accept science and the better future that it offered them. One of them was willing to embrace the future of technology and his existence was made better for it. He now has the opportunity to live his life the same way as others and in many ways better than others.
The other was unwilling to give in to the advancement of science and therefore is now forced to live in a world where his stubborn mindset will always isolate him from the people around him. He is also unable to even fight back against the society he disagrees with due to his unwillingness to accept the future. These two men were very similar in almost every way but their one difference their thoughts on the advancing field of science proved to be ones saving grace and the others downfall.