Techno Jungle Book

Dr Sumedha Kushwaha *

Today’s article is totally a work of fiction inspired by someone who told me “What you feel and write isn’t available on Google.” It struck me that creativity is precious and rare nowadays. So this article is a fable which you will have to read with an open mind. It can take you to a trip of what you and I will see years later from heaven. I am sure we will chuckle then ‘too’, remembering this piece.

The value of anything depends on its availability. There is an inverse relationship: the lesser the quantity, more the value. The more the quantity – lesser the value. I guess, we all agree with this. If you don’t, then see how diamonds are different from other rocks.

If diamonds were available in your garden like other pebbles, I can assure you- there would be no wedding rings. But anything that’s widely available becomes a way of life. The rule of demand and supply works both ways.

You all must have heard-if there is demand- we need supply. But think of it from the other side too. If sometimes the supply is so high, it influences human minds such-that demand generation happens automatically.

I am sure the way technology has dawned over human civilization, you will be able to appreciate how mobile phones have become our third arm, the CCTV our third eye, electricity-our soul, laptops-our stout projection in the brain near the hippocampus and so on. The day isn’t far when this entire world will be ruled and governed by Robots.

Just past some years, we believed that technology is an aid to our problems, it enables us to understand our problems better, analyze more effectively and then slowly, it became a solution. Observe how we think that technology is an asset to us, it makes our life easier, connects us to other humans but sooner we might become slaves to it too.

I wonder if that’s so, will robot repairing shop owners become the new multi-millionaires ? But on that day, will the value of money remain the same ? What will be the most expensive thing then ?

Amidst the tech jungle instead of nature, meta verse and augmented reality platforms rather than coffee shops, Artificial Intelligence working more than human brains-think what will be rare ?

I guess, that would be human-ness. The rare existence of human species leading normal lives will be a sight of wonder. Humans will become the new dinosaurs. Probably, we will be kept in museums and the minimally viable models of the new versions of the existing robots will come to see us and learn skills.

The most wondrous thing that they will find in us would be the fact that our species could “feel”. The tears flowed from our eyes when something touched our hearts–it didn’t need a quarterly refill in the tanks. They would be amazed that our neuronal networks charged at night through sleep-while they would have to be charged at a station.

And mothers and fathers were real-we weren’t batch manufactured like them. And we all don’t look alike-I mean we can create as many copies of a single of robot. They would be amazed that we could love each other without any conditions-robots surely would have some terms of use.

And of all I guess, the traits of kindness, forgiveness, humbleness, humanity, charity– may be at that time–all long lost-would be traded at the stock market just like Bitcoin today !

What do you think ? What would we all from heaven think when we see this scenario ? Will we still think of life as a race ? Or will we try to tell those in the museum, last remaining few of our race-to preserve and keep surviving because probably humans were the most intricately designed machines made by nature.

And then humans started becoming Gods and came in the mode of creation and probably one day it brought them closer to their own doom. These qualities that we have-do not have a price tag.

They do not have a value now because they are so readily available. But I am sure, we will all realize this sooner or later that everything which moves on a moderate pace-goes far. Anything that’s too slow or too fast goes for only a while. Because once you can’t keep up with own your success and failure–the drive to move decreases. This process of acceleration and deceleration is the core value that keeps life intact.

So, think what we can do better today- your soft skills will be the most valued things tomorrow. In the race of life-don’t forget to enjoy, smile, cry !

The joy of bunking a lecture is more than being at the top of the class, the happiness of wearing your boyfriend’s T shirt is much more than your own Little Black Dress, the food tastes better when someone feeds you with their own hands, the water quenches more thirst when sipped from the water bottle of a school partner and of course the success is much more rewarding when it benefits more and more people.

We are humans. Collective in nature. Don’t be mean and make genetic alterations in the race which is meant for sharing and caring.