Random Reflexions

In the 1982 "American cyberpunk" film Blade Runner by Ridley Scott, the humanoid or biorobotic being (who are known as "Replicants") named "Roy" - created by a man called Tyrell - confronts his creator in one of the many dramatic scenes of this cult favourite. As it happens Replicants by design have a lifespan of only 4 years.

Upon meeting his creator, Roy demands that his lifespan be extended and is sorely rejected. Roy then confesses and asks for forgiveness for his sins and the "questionable things" that he had done. Even then he is arrogantly dismissed by Tyrell, who tells him to "revel in his time" - the remaining hours or days of his life.

In a final fit of fury towards his own existence and the impending death he crushes his creator's head and kills him on the spot.

This film is a superb reflection of the human condition, portrayed through the struggle of Roy and his kind. It is a portrayal of the fact and harsh reality of death that we, as humans dictated and ordained by natural laws, must inevitably face. Like Roy, we too are mortal and in our time alive seek longevity. In essence we are built to survive and live for a set period of time.

Death is a strange and funny business to us.

But aren't we more fascinated by the afterlife than we are by death? Death itself is such an anticlimax, a non-event - but not the uncertainty of the afterlife. Many religions throughout history have capitalized on this great mystery to coerce and control followers. It exploited a weakness in our being that held us prisoner in our own conscience: we simply cannot accept death as the end of everything.

When there is something we cannot accept, say for instance, the loss of a child, we like to invent alternate realities - realities whose sole purpose is to ease the process of acceptance.

Certain religions abuse this natural tendency to imagine the afterlife, creating an uncertainty of the great unknown beyond death that is absolutely terrifying. Naturally we humans are grossly infatuated by things that we cannot explain and among them afterlife undeniably top the list. You see, unlike Roy, we humans do not come with an expiry date. But, what if we knew?

Most of the world's religions capitalize and exploit this fact of natural cycle of life - promising great material and spiritual riches to devout followers: a afterlife where great happiness and abundance of everything that we spend our lives wishing for is to be had - palaces to live, unlimited flawlessly beautiful women, permanent penile erections, rivers of wine and so on.

In the world of Blade Runner there are running ads on big screen TVs on the dark and foreboding alleys for trips to the "off-world" colonies where idyllic life awaits the dwellers of the dystopian world on earth. The religious symbolism here is uncanny: in the holiest of the holy brochures of the world's religions, we too are promised the better life. But conditions apply and one is required to read the fine print faithfully.

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Afterthought:

Roy had killed his creator. Like Roy, we too ask for forgiveness for the questionable things we have done from whoever we think created us. Roy was not afraid of death as much as he was disappointed by it. Unlike Roy, we do not yet know whether we can crush the skull of our creator in a fit of rage for creating us, for allowing freedom of thought and will, for giving us feelings and senses, for making us feel emotions and pain and happiness and then wiping everything away in the insignificant moment that is death.

Quite unlike Roy we cannot revel in that moment of cosmic self-superiority unless we break away from the deadly loop of dogmatic doctrines and the fear of afterlife. When that happens there is no need to do any skull crushing and life becomes beautiful and meaningful.