Fiction
has thrilled humanity inspiring us in to improbable adventures. Every ethnic
group has fictional tales and stories that captivate the imagination of their
past, present and future. The cultural fabric of our tribe is also interwoven
with tales filled with mystical characters plotted by our ancestors. They are
equally unique, intriguing and thrilling. Today, our generation is mystified by
characters such as the wizards of Harry Potter; Andrew of Bicentennial Man
(1999), a sentient and emotional robot educating and upgrading himself and
finally convincing the World Congress to recognize him as human; and Dr. Will
Caster of Transcendental (2014) who uploads his consciousness into the quantum computer where he goes on to disobey death. All these characters are
potent of future realities.
When
neuroscience and artificial intelligence advance, transhumanism could become a
reality. When we could experience more than three dimensions, a round square or
virtual reality swaps our very reality. When all A Priori conditions are
turned upside down. When education, cultivation, driving, and all sorts of
activities would be sourced to sentient machines. Will our tales and narratives
stand the test of such a possible future or will these factors be a detrimental
force? Will it even matter at all, I wonder?
Yesterday’s fiction is today’s reality and today’s fiction
would be our reality tomorrow. There is nothing fictional but fictional
realities, and the immortal human seems to be in the making
however nascent it may appear now. The future could be weird and strange too.
So, it concerns the very indemnity of our existence and survival of our unique
culture, the inevitable adaptation we cannot escape. The role of this
generation is to create a confluence of our ancestral tales with our present
fictional schemes. We should fortify a carrier which would revive our fictions
from generation to generation. We would have to recreate our ancestral
fiction’s keeping the spirit of the tale intake. Hope our grandfather
Madungkashii and grandmother Samutingdangpui are talked about by immortal
beings.
