n a crowded lecture hall, silence is rare—and meaningful engagement is even rarer.
When a veteran professor steps into his classroom, he notices something unique about his students: unlike other classes where eyes are glued to smartphones and minds are miles away, these students are actively debating, arguing, and listening to one another.
What begins as a casual conversation about artificial intelligence and the rapid pace of technology quickly deepens into a profound exploration of modern human connection. Are screens silently driving us apart even when we stand side by side? Is technology the real culprit, or is it our own inability to truly be present?
Absent Presence is a thought-provoking short story by Faramarz Parsa that gently challenges our reliance on screens and reminds us of the quiet power of genuine human presence