We are all a little like Elliot now!

I recently started watching 'Mr. Robot'! Somewhere between emails and LinkedIn scrolls, Elliot Alderson stopped feeling like a character, but a "familiar" reflection!

While series talk about many things; capitalism, power, technology, control, human nature, tabloids, security, existentialism, absurdity of things and what not.. I would like to only talk of one section!

In the series, there is a scene where everything feels controlled by invisible systems: corporations, debt, power structures you can’t see but can definitely feel. 

Just there, I paused and thought, is this fiction? Or is this just… 2026? 

Because right now, it doesn’t matter whether you’re in India or the US, something feels off! 

Layoffs are everywhere. “We’re hiring” posts sit next to “Open to Work” badges. Talent is abundant, but opportunities feel rationed.  And somehow, the narrative is still: try harder!

I never thought a show like 'Mr. Robot' would stay with me this way. Not because of the hacking or the suspense; but because of a constant feeling that something, somewhere, is not entirely right. And you can’t always explain it; but can only feel it.

Lately, everything feels a little unstable. Not in a dramatic, breaking-news way but in a quiet, everyday way. 

You see it in small things like people leaving cities because living costs don’t make sense anymore; conversations around gas, inflation, survival which is less about growth and more about adjustment; the rupee being discussed not with panic, but with a strange kind of acceptance and so much more. 

Like we’re all slowly adapting to something we didn’t consciously sign up for.

And at the same time, there’s always something being announced. 

New bills! New promises! New narratives! 

You hear speeches about women empowerment, representation, progress. And it sounds right (debatable), it should sound right. But somewhere in your mind, another question quietly exists: Is this what we need the most right now? It’s not about rejecting progress. It’s about wondering if we’re solving the right problems first.

The quiet burnout noone talks about! 

There’s a strange exhaustion that doesn’t come from working too much. It comes from trying too much sometimes, in same loop.

Trying to stay relevant. Trying to upskill. Trying to sound confident.

And the worst part? Everyone else looks like they’re doing fine. LinkedIn is full of: “Excited to announce…”, “Grateful for this opportunity…”, “Thrilled to join…”. And you’re just sitting there thinking; where are these opportunities hiding?

Maybe Marx wasn’t being Dramatic!

I kept thinking about Karl Marx while watching the show. Not in a textbook way, but in a very real, everyday way. 

He spoke about 'alienation' - how workers become disconnected from their work, from its value, from themselves. And honestly, that hits differently now. Because it’s not just about factory workers anymore.

It’s: 

• Marketers writing campaigns they don’t believe in. 
• Creators chasing algorithms instead of ideas.
• Employees optimizing for metrics instead of meaning.

We’re all participating in something that feels… slightly hollow.

While everything is happening, another shift is running parallel: Technology! AI! Automation! Acceleration! 

Everything is becoming faster, smarter and more efficient; yet, people feel slower, replaceable and a little unsure of where they stand. Even if you’re trying to adapt, it feels like you’re slightly out of sync.

Marx spoke about systems that shape people in ways they don’t fully control. And it doesn’t feel theoretical anymore. 

Because today, it’s not just about labor. It’s about identity: what you do?!, how much you earn?!, where you live?!

Everything quietly becomes a measure of your worth.

And then there’s Nietzsche!

Friedrich Nietzsche said, “God is dead.” 

Which, in simpler terms, means the old systems that gave life meaning are collapsing. 

And what replaces them? Not much, apparently!

Careers don’t feel stable! Success feels delayed! Even ambition feels tiring!

Elliot’s chaos in 'Mr Robot' isn’t just mental, it’s existential. And that’s probably why it feels so relatable. 

I have been a Literature student, and "existentialism and absurdism" was one of my favourite genre that quite shaped my personality too.

The complicated 'American Dream' of 2026  

For the longest time, there was a process. 

1. Study hard 
2. Get a job
3. Move to the US
4. Build a life 

That was the dream.

The American Dream wasn’t just American, it was global! But now? 

• H1B feels like a lottery, not a plan. 
• Layoffs hit even the “secure” companies. 
• Moving abroad feels less like escape, more like risk. 

So you start questioning things you never questioned before. 

Was the dream always this fragile? Or are we just seeing it clearly now?

This doesn’t feel like a normal “recession”

People keep calling it a "slowdown", "a cycle", "a phase". But it feels different. 

This isn’t just about fewer jobs. It’s about a system that doesn’t seem to have space for everyone anymore. 

Too many skilled people 

Too few meaningful roles 

Too much noise, not enough direction 

And quietly, without saying it out loud, people have started to feel: What if it’s not me? What if it’s the system?

The subtle things that stay with you!

It’s not always the big things. It’s: 

• Refreshing your inbox and seeing nothing because of lack of professionalism and market chaos.
• Reading “We regret to inform you…” like it’s routine.
• Adding another certification just to feel in control 
• The “Open to Work” badge which is supposed to help but somehow feels like a public display of vulnerability. 

And everyone is going through it quietly. 

Individually. Almost, invisibly!

So where does that leave us?

'Mr. Robot' makes you think the fight is against the system'; but maybe the first realization is simpler than that. Maybe it’s this that the system was never designed to feel fair; and it was definitely never designed to feel stable. And once you see that, something shifts. Not into hopelessness, but into awareness.

Because maybe the goal isn’t to “win” the system anymore. 

Maybe it’s to stop tying your worth to outcomes you don’t control. Its to redefining the success beyond geography or job titles. And hold on to some sense of self in a world that keeps trying to optimize you.

I don’t know what happens next. 

But I do know that watching 'Mr. Robot' in 2026 doesn’t feel like watching a thriller. It feels like watching a documentary. 

Maybe that’s why 'Mr. Robot' feels less like fiction and more like a mood now. Not because we’re trying to take down systems, but because we’re trying to understand them. And more importantly, understand where we stand within them!

When systems feel unstable, you build your own ground!

There’s chaos outside with economies, politics, technology, etc. And then there’s chaos inside with overthinking, comparing, questioning.

Lately, somewhere in between, something shifted for me; quietly.

I started paying attention to what I was ignoring: my routine, my health, my mind. Was quite a hack!

2026 isn’t about something big right now for me. It’s specific. Find a stable job and I want to reach my best weight: 55 kg (I’m at 58 right now). And for once, that feels within my control.

So I started small with morning walks, a bit of yoga, and just showing up.

While I write this, its already been 25 day. 

And it’s helping. I sleep better, my thoughts don’t spiral as much and I feel a little more steady. Nothing outside has changed, but I feel more equipped to sit with it.

Because when everything around us keeps shifting, maybe the only stability we can build is within ourselves: slowly, quietly, one day at a time.

But, Mr Robot, what a reflective watch!!! Everyone should watch it!!! A 2015 series is so relevant right now!!!