Science fiction : A leaf from 2075

 

Science fiction : A leaf from 2075

There are many paradoxes, and most of them have a strong element of irony that is logically sensible; but in reality it would be better if the paradoxical irony could be disentangled from the reality that surrounds a paradox. Take for example the title of this short science fiction, “A leaf from 2075.” 

With the given state of Global Warming and Climate Change the title of this blog post has a twin irony that it can be associated with: It is an oxymoron as well as a paradox. Not now in 2023, but in 2075, for our future generations it is very likely that it will be both.

And this is a short science fiction where a leaf from the future, 2075, travels backwards in time to caution us about being fatuous snobs when it comes to dealing with major global issues like: Global warming and Climate Change. 

The short scifi story begins as follows:

It must have been 11:00 am, on a cold Saturday of December 2022, when I was strolling languidly in a public park, where the leafless, naked branches spread like the tentacles of octopus. Only that the branches were hard and rendered stiff by the winter cold; and they hung there with the shadow of morbidity, lamenting us for the unnecessary abnegation. The abnegation of our fight against global warming.

I looked at these branches, and the misty air that drifted from one end to another, there was nothing abominable about this park and the trees, but there was something grievous about the atmosphere in the park and the surrounding areas. And this feeling fostered abhorrence and right now I was dressed in this feeling. So, I decided to sit somewhere and relax for a while. I sat on a bench, under a canopy of several trees, and at this moment I neither thought of anything nor did I allow my mind to conjure up imaginary wanderings into this melancholic world of the park. Because it would be like becoming a part of sad tale, where the situational irony would make me a villain and a hero as well. Almost like cowardice riding the horse of gallantry. And a combination of this nature never leads anywhere, eventually, either the rider will lose balance or the horse would lose its sense of purpose and not move ahead.

I was dealing with these thoughts when a green leaf, floating in the air, was tossed into my left hand. Which I closed instantly, and when the winter wind had settled, I held the leaf in my hand and looked at it carefully. It fluttered there like a struggling kite caught in the branches, and the irrepressible wind made it look like the restlessness of the fast beating wings of the hummingbird. It had a blob like white silk attached to its lateral end of the stalk that had got glued to my palm, and when I opened it, the leaf forced by the gusts of the wind started beating against my palm, but the blob of sticky spider web that had got stuck to my palm, was not willing to surrender its allegiances to my palm . Finally the wind subsided, and the calm returned to the park, where now everything was painted in two colours, black and grey, and the third colour, the colour of life, green was in my hand.

Now every tree, every plant, every bush, every grass blade seemed to stare at the green leaf in my hand. And the most surprising of all, I too was now staring at it continuously. It was a leaf unlike any other that I had seen. And seeing this alien species in their midst, even the silent and still, residents of the park gazed at it. Eager to know, where it was from and what it was doing here? That too in the cold of December.

The park and its residents were as curious as I was, and we all wanted to know more about the leaf. The green leaf that fell from somewhere unknown and still green, but very small and thin. Thinner than the wings of butterfly and smaller than the wings of a Monarch butterfly. It was definitely not from this park at least.

So on behalf of the park, I reserved the right to ask the leaf few questions to know it better. To display my loyalty towards the park and its residents, I entered into a candid conversation with the leaf.

I: “Where are you from and what brings you here?”

Leaf: “I am from the future. To be exact, from the year 2075.”

I: “But what are you doing here?”

Leaf: “That is the exact purpose of my journey. I am here to warn you about your future and your carelessness today. That shall cost you dearly in the future. Your future generations will pay a heavy price for your mistakes.”

I: “What makes you say that?”

Leaf: “Look at me? Can’t you still make out? Ah that is disgusting!”

I: “Disgusting, really! And how am I responsible for you and your plight? We all could tell you are frail, vulnerable and destructible. But why are you blaming us? Should not you be blaming your people in 2075?”

Leaf: “My people. You are talking irresponsibly now. The people you are referring to as, “your people in 2075” are actually your children and grand children. Ah, your common sense surely lacks sense!”

At this point I was speechless, and the park along with all its residents shifted a bit, as if the tectonic plates changed the angle of the park to align it more with the leaf. And at this point I realised, and the leaf realised it too, that the park and its residents were now on his side, and I was the accused now. Cornered in the courtroom of nature. And my attorney was "my own conscience," and it knew it was guilty, and was already struggling to defend itself. So, I, who was just being used as a means to facilitate this conversation, displayed this nervousness and abjectness without any attempt to cover it, and I said,

“Yes, we have been careless and we are still not doing anything about saving our planet. I and my race, are guilty of this crime and our future generations shall suffer as a result of this complete negligence on our part.”

The leaf fluttered a bit with confidence and the winter branches of the trees shook with it. They had formed a united front and I stood no chance.

Leaf: “But you still can do a lot and redefine your destiny. Just do not be senile and please act proactively. You know what I mean. You even know how to do it. But you lack motivation and purpose. Once half of the world is under water, then you shall be motivated enough. But then it will be of no use, because damage would already have been done. So, you should act now and act fast, before you and your race meet a fate just like mine. I will miss you then, but trust me, the Universe will only say good riddance of this nuisance. That will be a shame for the crown of His creation! Don’t you think so?”

Silent like the wintry stillness and unable to think, I stood there. Like a stray dog that had entered the firing range and was busy, not dodging the bullets, but the echoing noise created by the gunshots, where I felt, I was inside a drum and everyone was hitting at it from both ends, as hard as he/she could. As soon as I was out of this vocal pandemonium I replied,

“Yes, that will be awful, and if we lose the opportunity that we have now, we may be writing the end of our own story. The story about humans on Earth and how it ended, forever. But there is nothing that I can do, unless all realise the need to act and act now with a profound sense of collaboration and responsibility, where we assume roles of true guardians of the planet Earth. However, these roles should be assigned based on several factors, and I believe that is what the real problem is, and is preventing us from acting in this direction with a sense of political and moral duty.”

Leaf: “ I too agree with you and that is why I have travelled from the future. Sometimes, you humans need to experience adversity and disasters, to experience your moment of awakening where you realise your true responsibilities and act accordingly. So, here I am from the future and now in your palm.

Show me, to them! 

Then if they still do not act. Hold me tight, until I am crushed, then go to the spot where you caught me. There will be a gateway that shall open for you alone, and you shall be bound for a new world, where the thinking beings are more responsible, more sensitive and beautiful inside out, and you can live in that world forever.

As for your species. We have always sent messengers, prophets, but they have something in them that always makes their acts reproachful. We have tried our best to supplant this trait in your species, but this trait always manifests itself, in one way or another.

But we shall always give your species a chance, after all the thinking community of the universe is one, because eventually we belong to the same Universe, if not the same planet in the same Universe.”

After this there was silence, the naked winter branches, all the residents of the park, along with the park, joined the silence along with the wind that had entered into a state of absolute rest. And the stillness encased the leaf as well, as its fluttering stopped, and it did not move at all. Though it was still stuck to my palm with the blob of sticky spider web. I looked at it, and slowly closed my fingers and held it in my fist, like a tender butterfly that I was cautious not to harm at all. And the leaf realised it too and was now silent and still.

Maybe it will not be so, when I reveal it to you all, and I hope it will move you enough to act soon.

As the leaf is hibernating in the glass jar where I have placed it for the time being, I dedicated some of my time to writing a science fiction novel, titled: They Loved in 2075. It is not about the leaf, but it surely is about its fears, its existential crisis in 2075, and that of human emotions. Because in 2075, with the excessive use of self aware machines, it is possible that humans will fail to express emotions like love. Because their interaction with intelligent machines, will give rise to new emotions and new feelings, that will gradually, not kill, but dominate human ability to express true feelings and human emotions, to the extent, that they will get confused when it comes to distinguishing between native human emotions and synthetic human emotions. 

It will be a crisis of new kind, it will be psychological and emotional crisis that humanity will be dealing with. And if synthetic emotions evolve enough and dominate human societies. Then I am sure, I will have no option left, but to crush the leaf and do as it instructed.

They Loved in 2075, is a science fiction novel, that actually is a romance science fiction, where the main character ( Saabir ) is dealing with highly intelligent machines, self aware networks, evolutionary problems, changing climate that is killing humans in millions every year, advanced wars fought by self aware systems; and in midst of all this he falls in love with a beautiful woman, and how he manages to stay human and love like a human, is the most refreshing part of this science fiction novel.

If by now, you have developed some sympathy towards the leaf, then you should find the science fiction novel, They Loved in 2075, very interesting and invigorating in many ways.

As you are reading this science fiction novel, there will be moments where you shall feel compelled to ask yourself, what you can do to make this planet a better place? At this point you may feel sad, because you will feel so small and helpless to initiate a change that demands so much from everyone of us. At that moment please remember, “Examinations are formidable even to the best prepared, for the greatest fool may ask more than the wisest man can answer!”

Allow your wisdom to guide you to your actual capacity, to your real power and your iron will, similar to that of the leaf. That took the trouble of travelling all the way from 2075 to 2023 to help us realise our actual purpose of life i.e. being the responsible and worthy caretakers of planet Earth!