Science fiction. The lesser known man

 

Science fiction. The lesser known man

Intriguing! But, at the same time enormously agonising. This was the duality of the scene we had been witnessing for almost an hour now.

And now we are going to meet someone, who is neither known to us, nor are we going to make an acquaintance with him. We were asked to see him because he was considered to be the topmost authority in establishing the authenticity of the facts surrounding accidents of this nature. Where lives are lost; but more than the lost lives, it is the trust of the population that suffers the maximum casualty. And our department is entrusted with the job to re-establish this trust.

At the accident site the mangled cars told a story of some sort of exhortation, where either of the car owners had purposefully orchestrated this fatal accident. And we were supposed to find the facts. Then based on them pin down the actual perpetrator.

This accident had led to scenes of city wide protests, and people were beginning to ask questions about the smart systems that were supposed to curtail the incidence of such accidents.

“It is going to be tough, and we may have to tackle this case with a lot of professional sternness and stoicism as well. Because if we do not, it might lead to the disgrace of our department that is expected to handle this case, and provide evidence based final assessments in not more than 4 weeks. So, we better be sure about asking the right questions from the most popular stranger we are supposed to meet today!”

( He was someone about whom many of us had heard a lot, but most of us had never met or seen. ) 

When my colleague was through with her well timed speech. I looked at her with my closed eyes, contracted brow, and ears that were falling like an old elephant. This expression was unusual, and I knew she would not mind it because she knew how both of us were feeling about the accident, especially about the people involved in it. 

Looking at the people involved in the accident, felt like a deer mutilated by lions, hyenas and wild african dogs, all at once; and by all of them together. That is the only accurate description I can think of when it comes to explaining the gruesomeness accident.

So, we both knew how we were feeling, and we both mutually accepted the emotional effects it was going to have on our moods for weeks to come. And these almost uncharacteristic expressions of ours, were the initial signs of the emotional graph it was already beginning to redefine within us. Both of us, not just me!

But we had gone through many such situations earlier as well and we knew we would eventually overcome it; and we would cross the bridge when the time was right.

As of now, we had crossed the physical bridge that led to the home of the stranger. And we were driving in his estate that spread across 150 acres. His house stood at the north west side of this estate. Next to a small stream that was always reflecting the shadow of the mountains that ran across the other end of the stream.

He appeared to be somebody with a taste about everything. Yes, that is what we had been told. That he is a person who is a lot different from most of us because he could be somebody, who is a gardener in one moment, in the next moment a builder, in the succeeding moment a mechanic, in the next moment an aviation specialist…….. Ah, according to the assessment of our department he was someone who was everyone yet if he chose he could be no one, and still manage to exist as himself. The individual! And according to our experts in the department it was a rare quality of highly trained mind, that could almost evolve instantly to adjust to the situational demands; both physically and emotionally. And this ability made him extremely different and highly respected by our department. This is the reason we have been sent to seek his advice in this case. Because other than the vocations listed by me above, he could be many other things as well. And you will get to know this in more detail as you proceed with us into his house, situated in a 150 acre estate.

We both had always wanted to see him, and today we finally got our chance. But not under favourable emotional circumstances. But, sometimes you have to accept what is being offered to you, whether you like it or not. Though we would have liked to meet him under different circumstances, at the moment we had no choice, so we decided to move ahead with the assignment and consult the expert who was treated by our department as the highest authority on such cases.

Finally, we reached the entrance of his house and he had been waiting for us. We both entered the house first and he followed us. Then as he sat in a chair, he directed us to a bench like; but a well designed piece of furniture, with his index finger. And without wasting any moment he asked us to make ourselves comfortable there. We did exactly as instructed by him, and without referring to any other conversation; he came straight to the point.

 “So, what details have you been able to gather from the site?”

We both wanted to speak at the same time, and judging this collision of voices and thereby our observations as well, he promptly asked my colleague to speak first. She shared her details with him and I followed immediately as soon as she had concluded.

Having heard both of us, he did not express anything immediately. Instead he got up, poured a few drinks and handed over a glass to each one of us. By the taste of the drink it felt like a self prepared brew, that he appeared to have seasoned in a wooden barrel, that exuded earthy, pine like and resin like aroma, and when it blended with the ageing brew, whatever it was, it tasted like a drink from the heaven.

If for no other reason, I would definitely want to return to his house for it. Whenever asked to!

He held the glass in his hand and sat in the chair, but his body occupied the chair like the alphabet Z. First his head moved backwards a bit along with his neck, then his lower body upto his belly button, tried to align with the head; and finally as his hips touched the base of the chair, he relaxed and stretched his legs, and then pulled them inwards. Gradually, so that his feet touched each other, and stayed close like a just married couple that has been in love for 10 years, and is finally married. Exactly like that.

I was watching him keenly, because more than the case, his aura intrigued me and it somehow seemed to dominate me. Because I had heard a lot about him. And everything I had heard about him was not an exaggeration at all, as is in most of the cases. His mannerism, his expressions and his cordial dealing with us stood out to me in this short interaction with him so far. This got me more interested in him and now I watched him very keenly.

After a few sips he looked at our glasses and asked us if we would need another fill. My colleague and I said no. Just to be polite and not to cross the barrier of cultural civility. Although we both wanted to have more. I certainly did!

He sensed our reluctant denial to go for the next round of drink. He once again left his chair and poured more of this heaven brewed drink in our glasses. I kept looking at it as it poured into my glass, I wanted it to fill the entire glass. My colleague who happens to be very courteous and sensitive when it comes to expressing the politeness of a guest, she too did not ask him to stop until her glass was filled to the top. So, I was sure, she too had liked it just like me. And our host had already guessed it from our first sip. 

And this certainly proved he was special. He helped us not to suffer from courteous denial over a drink that would certainly have bothered us forever. 

He occupied his chair, once again in Z like alignment. And this time he took a longer sip and then continued.

“This accident is very different and one that our city has never witnessed before. And your department wants to know who is the guilty party? The one who actually did this on purpose. And this is your theory, not my assessment. Because I am learning the details from you.

Could you please share all the pictures you have taken at the site of the accident?”

My colleague immediately accessed her system via her wearable smart device and transferred the compressed image file to him.

He launched these images on a very large screen and began examining them. One by one, and with a lot of attention. His focus was so deep, that it appeared to us he would travel into these images somehow. And right before our eyes! Thank God nothing of that sort happened. If it had, then we would not have been able to tell whether it was real or we were feeling this under the influence of the drink from the heaven.

He got busy observing the pictures and totally forgot about his drink. But not about us.

While my colleague and I got busy drinking, and taking small sips. Because we did not want to finish it too soon- Few pleasures are good if they last a bit longer. Otherwise, we both might have to find a way to smuggle some of the drink left in his almost abandoned glass, and pour it into our glasses. That would be crossing all limits of courtesy. Correct!

In the middle of this contrasting engagements, his with the pictures and ours with the drink. He spoke in a very confident voice,

“Look at this picture. Do you see anything special?”

We both looked at it, but there was nothing that would tell us it carried some critical dissimilarity from other pictures in any way. It was just like any other picture. At least to both of us, it was nothing special. It was least different from other pictures.

He did not expect us to say anything that would have surprised him. And when we said no, he smiled just a bit, because he was already expecting it. So, he chose to speak instead.

“Look at this car. This car was travelling in the left lane, and given its destination it was following the designated lane. But the car that is approaching from the opposite direction, is travelling in the right lane, and given its destination, it too is plying in the designated lane. Until the moment of accident.

At the crash site.The car in the left lane is in the left lane, but the car that was travelling in the right lane, has crossed over to the left lane and hit it. So it is a simple case. Why are you complicating it so much? And you could have solved it yourself at the site. Why did you have to travel so far just for this?”

I was about to finish my last remaining sip, when I decided to leave it there and address his question. It was necessary for maintaining professional courtesy. You see, we are a society caught in so many courtesies and a barrage of politeness sequences, that confuses the mind sometimes. As was the case with the drink, where I wanted more, but I chose to say, no more!

Anyway I addressed his question.

“This is a very high profile case. And if you agree with what we too have observed at the crash site, it will add authenticity to our claim and help the innocent party from not getting caught in unnecessary legal entanglements. You know how it is!”

“Oh I see. I know how it is. So, I need to authenticate it. Meaning I need to pronounce who is guilty or who crossed the courtesy of traffic rules!”

He said this, while pouring another drink in my glass, and I could not feel more delighted. But his use of word courtesy alarmed me a bit. “Does he read minds as well? Because I too had been thinking about courtesy and politeness.”

Then, we talked about world affairs, inter-planetary missions and the interplanetary council that had been reshuffled to make it more driven towards the cause with which it had been established. And most of the members representing different planets had recommended his name to lead it. 

Which according to him, he had been considering to endorse. However, he expressed his concerns which bothered him a bit. Because he believed inter-planetary council should be an organisation that is owned by all because it represents all; and it should pursue only one goal. That of spreading the human race across the universe. And to this effect he had many personal agendas and rules which would ensure speedy achievement of its main goals. Such as finding the right planets and galaxies which are not only habitable, but also offer viable business opportunities. Because such organisations cannot be funded alone by no return based contributions made by developing and developed planets. If it has to sustain, it also needs to be a business entity in itself. Otherwise, it will be like a parasite who expects the host to provide everything without complaining. But in these parasitic relationships, there is a point where the host feels exploited and always on the receiving end. And at a point wants to free itself from this over consuming and unnecessary obligation.

And scientists’ minds are scientific in every sense, they are designed to pursue scientific quests; and they usually may not possess the flair to turn organisations into business giants that can support such endeavours! 

Therefore, I believe someone who heads such an organisation should be a combination of scientific mind, business mind, social courtesies, some charm, a bit flamboyant, and with a lot of ability to push the limits every day. Only then it can be a huge business enterprise that can benefit all planets, depending upon the contributions they make.

And that is my problem, you see! I believe we humans are treating Dooms Day as a joke. Keeping theology and religions aside, and even keeping global warming aside for a moment. The Earth is bound to heat up like hell in a few centuries because the star that makes life possible on this planet is also ageing. And in stars, there is no mechanism called reverse ageing. So, by taking a very laid back approach, one day we will find ourselves dealing with the day, where we all will be baked to death. And if we are to avoid it, we better work like dogs now, so that we can feel like lions when the time is right.

This word, “dog” has been misinterpreted by many members of the inter-planetary council and they feel I might be a tyrant of a leader, who always wants to set goals and achieve new milestones, and keeps flogging the race horses until they do not reach the finish line.

So, hnmmmmm. I am interested. But the question is, will they be interested in the man who believes in a concentrated and exceptionally high speed approach to innovation in this field. Humanity’s only hope to live forever i.e. via our future generations. If we fail now, we shall never succeed again.

But! Anyway we will see how it turns out to be. Do you want another drink? Or you want me to talk more about gravity? I feel I know something about it that will re-define how we view space and space travel. Maybe that will be too much for you after 3 glasses!

Haa haaa. How about another drink for both of you?”

I quickly extended my glass. Who the hell cared about getting drunk, because the drink of heaven was refreshing in the company of someone who knew few secrets that nobody could even imagine in their wildest imaginations.

Take for example, according to him in the future semiconductors will be obsolete because there will be something else that will work a million times faster than them. And based on his explanation it is already there. It is just that the inter-planetary council is unable to see it, because it is busy being this organisation that believes a miracle will save all on the Dooms Day. It only believes in today; with a careless approach towards the future generations of human species.

These thoughts were enough to make me feel sober. With our glasses empty once again, we both decided to take his leave and return to our office.

He was very polite, and we both think he is an extremely generous human being. When we were about to leave, he gave both of us a bottle each- Bottles with the drink of heaven. And most important of all he gave us the authentication letter confirming the guilty party. We could not have asked for anything else, neither from him nor from the bounties of today.

The case was finally closed on October 5th, 2075.

He told us a lot about new technologies and how semiconductors and computer related technologies will become obsolete. It was a very interesting and revealing interaction with a man about whom we knew so much but understood so little. The details of our conversations are documented in the form of a wonderfully written romance science fiction novel, They Loved in 2075.

If you are someone who cares about the future of Earth, the future generations of humans, and you regard human emotions to be superior compared to emotions expressed by self aware machines. Then this romance science fiction novel is for you.

And trust me, it is a scifi novel that takes emotions to the next level of evolution. Because in 2075, humans who will be exposed to interactions with self aware machines, will gradually develop a synthetic layer of emotions and feelings. That will completely submerge their ability to express emotions like love. And it is in the midst of this crisis, a boy falls in love with a beautiful girl. The girl who has developed this synthetic layer of feelings that prevents her from feeling the true emotions of the boy. But he keeps trying and hoping that someday she will regain her true human emotions.

To know whether she succeeds or the boy succeeds, read the scifi novel, They loved in 2075. What did I mean by whether he succeeds or she succeeds? Please do not be confused, once you have read the scifi novel, They Loved in 2075, it shall be easy to comprehend.

Just like after meeting the man, about whom both of us had heard a lot, we realised gravity is actually the gateway to 80% secrets of the universe. And to uncover this secret we need to change the way we look at it. We need to shift a bit from the way we perceive gravity based on conventional knowledge of gravity. Because according to him, it is what Gods harness in the 7th realm and use it to control all realms.

To know more, read the scifi novel, They Loved in 2075.

PS. I am a great proponent of Artificial Intelligence and intelligent Machines. I love watching the Terminator movie over and over again. I have watched it many times because the concept is revolutionary and so ahead of its time! 

Intelligent machines are the only way humans can become a great and invincible species. But, we should not rush in arriving at a decision where we start believing that self aware machines have attained perfect Artificial Conscience. Humans took millions of years to evolve in order to become the species it is today. How can we say that a machine which has been induced with an artificial mind just a few decades ago, is ready to enter human societies?

Have we even taken into account how it will change the dynamics of our societies, our relationships, our businesses? Because many businesses rely on highly personalised interactions.

For example:

The touch of the most humane nurse like Ms. Florence Nightingale can never be replaced by the touch of a female humanoid. Never!

( And I do not understand what is the need to replace her. Although I do see great need for intelligent machines to land on the Jupiter and do the research for us independently and feed us with valuable inputs. ) 

And I believe at this stage it is important to classify AI, ML and related technologies into different categories of their applicability. As of now it is very important to decide, after thorough investigation that which sectors would benefit the most from the introduction of self aware machines.

For example:

In schools you can have an AI system, where based on human teachers’ inputs the system studies learning patterns of every student for 5 years ( whatever the appropriate range is ) and then based on individual assessments it points out best ways to train the mind of each student. It is possible! But we somehow want to replace the Nightingale with a Humanoid. I guess it is so because doing the latter is easier.

Let us accept the fact. Ms. Florence Nightingale did not only hold the lamp, she held the light of hope to many, to a multitude I suppose. When a humanoid can do this and know this difference. They shall be ready to take on bigger and human like roles. And we are getting there, but we are not quite there yet, not yet!