Futurama is in itself an
illustration of how humanity intervenes with the supposedly purely beneficial
impact of the advancement of science and technology. Utmost innovation does not
guarantee utmost comfort in life. People are inevitably, at first, in some ways
slaves of science, but they grow out of it when they fail to perceive the
rationale of things they perform routinely for science. As Philip J. Fry said, “It’s up to you to make your own decisions in life. That’s what
separates people and robots from animals…and animal robots.” Science’s
provisions assure us of security, yet our responsibility to be wary of its
consequences and to be deliberate in choosing what to accept in our lives
remain within us.
One subtle depiction of time
travel that Futurama did was inconvenience; the traveler is most likely not
knowledgeable enough of the period’s culture he is destined to experience. As a
result, he finds difficulty in adapting to that environment. Of course,
everything about time travel is thrilling; but the part where you get yourself
accustomed to an alien domain is the great challenge. Besides, escaping reality
by departing today for another time does not make the predicament in the least
better. In the case of Fry, he rejoiced in having been accidentally delivered to
the future where he would apparently lead an entirely different life. He deemed
his life miserable, so he thought that the accident was a blessing in disguise.
He met a robot, named Bender, in
the line for the suicide booth which he mistook for a phone booth. Together
they embarked on a journey as fugitives to escape their assigned Fate. In the
end, the Fate Assignment Officer realized that it was high time she quit her
job, which only involved her obsequiously following her boss’s orders around,
her personal views and values completely neglected. She cannot make decisions
by herself; she would disrupt her system if she does. This is just like how we
unconsciously let science be our ultimate boss- an utter human flaw that
results from our lack of understanding of the significance of things unrelated
to science: wisdom, relationships, family, friends, and emotions, among others.
Fry’s act of surrendering to his Assigned Fate is equivalent to his
surrendering to what he is destined to be and stop running away from it. There
are instances when people use science in an attempt to alter destiny; although in
one way or another, there is always a good effect, the end never seemed to
appear satisfactory to the proponents. Though sometimes we loathe the fate that
we have come upon, it still is the product of our actions and decisions and
therefore the reflection of our being as a whole. It may not always be in our favour,
but at least we can do something about it- better than having your arm
implanted with a career chip thus going through life performing a job you did
not partake in deciding.
Apple Czarline C. Cruel
2013-59992
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