People working at box-shaped desks inside box-like offices, working within boxes called buildings, nested within grids of boxes called cities, work hard each day to divide the world into boxes.

In the employ of those who control much of the boxed world, they are cogs in a machine that seeks to quantify what is left of the world into commodified boxes.

A line of such boxes was computed for a pipeline to ship oil by pretending fluid fits neatly into boxes.

The pipeline packaging supervisor professed that the project would be completed by the end of October since boxes of money had already been computed to fit neatly within boxes of time according to schedule.

“Once completed, this pipeline will ship limitless boxes of oil from deep within the boxes of the earth we control” stated the packaging supervisor.

“Since we control all the boxes, we will receive the maximum boxes of profit within the smallest boxes of time”

Every second of construction has been planned, every inch of pipeline computed, to produce the maximum profit at minimum cost and leave the largest boxes for those who control the boxes.

The goal of this boxing of the world is to end up with the most boxes in the fewest hands.

Things that aren’t in boxes certainly should be is the logic.

The people, not being boxes, objected by tossing aside the neat boxes of time and money that had been computed by questioning where they fit into the grand boxing plan.

Those who controlled the boxes, not used to being unboxed in this manner, sent enforcers to ensure the boxing remained on schedule.

“We are losing boxes of money the longer this goes on. Why can’t these people see that everything is already boxed up?”

“Don’t they understand some of the boxes will trickle down to everyone one day?”

This is in fact what the people fear most

The Native people had heard similar boxing plans before and had received empty boxes too many times to believe hollow promises

The entire plan has been deemed unboxable as the people stand breaking down boxes and setting the contents free.

The packaging supervisor and those who control the boxes, intent on boxing things up, seems intent on crushing the opposition flat.

The question posed at this moment in history is: Do we want a world that is inside or outside of the box?

Mark Holman

Standing Rock Resident